Within the Heart of the Cards I: Battle City
by Frostforge44
Summary: Anya Mirov, one of the top-ranked duelists in Domino City is faced with the task of helping her friends through the difficult and conflicting dangers during the Battle City Tournament. No doubt it will be tough, but will the strength of her heart, her deck, and her friends be enough to vanquish the evil that is slithering ever more closely to them? MAJOR PROFILE UPDATE 05-19-16!
1. Anya and the Millennium Charm

**Hello! Well, I'm pretty new to the fandom and I'm hoping you guys like this story. If you guys happen to like this story and want one that basically plays through episodes before the Battle City Tournament, let me know. I would be glad to do it. I'm just going to start off with introducing my main OC and her special item. In case you haven't noticed, there is a chibi version of her as the story picture. I'm hoping to make a anime verson of her soon. Until then, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its characters. Only Anya and the Millennium Charm. Enjoy!**

**BASIC INFO**

**Name:** Anya Mirov

**Birthday**: March 16th

**Zodiac Sign:** Pisces

**Hometown: **Domino City

**Age:** 16

**Gender: **Female

**Occupation: **Student, Duelist

**History:** Anya and her older brother, Dimitri Mirov, both were born in the city of Domino. Their mother left them at a very early age and their father, an archeologist, spends most of his time away from them. Instead, they went to live with their uncle who owns an antique store when she was 7 and when Dimitri was 9. One year later on her eighth birthday, Anya received a gift from her father while on a dig in Egypt: this turned out to be the Millennium Charm. When putting it on, Anya was then chosen by the Millennium Item as it's bearer. At first, she didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary. Since her sense of intuition increased and she could sense the good and evil in people, it wasn't hard to meet her first friend since coming to her uncle's store and going to a new school. She sensed the good in Yugi Muto and was immediately drawn to him. The two became fast friends and were seen together constantly throughout the years. When Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle, Anya was the first to notice something different since then, but helps the two in any way that she can. The two of them together learned how to play Duel Monsters and Anya is a fairly exceptional duelist. At one time, Anya could not play the game to save her life, but Yugi taught her some strategies to get her on her feet. Over time, she became stronger and stronger, so much that when competing in Duelist Kingdom, Anya dueled against Yugi and the two tied. Ever since, the result of the duels between the two have often ended in a stalemate.

**PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION**

**Height: **5'5

**Weight: **131 lbs.

**Hair Color: **Black

**Hair Length: **Reaches to mid-back

**Eye Color:** Aquamarine

**Typical Outfit:** On most days, Anya is seen in her favorite colors: black, purple, and yellow. Her favorite outfit is a yellow tank top with a no-sleeve purple vest and dark blue jeans. Her accessories include a yellow hair ribbon, scarf, sash, and a pair of black fingerless gloves that is ripped and reaches past her elbows.

However, she does like to change up her wardrobe and in each of the Yugioh Arcs, she has a different outfit. These Arcs include: Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, Waking the Dragons, Capsule Monsters, and Dawn of the Duel. A list will be posted in the future of outfits from each of these Arcs.

**RELATIONSHIPS**

**Yugi Muto/Yami: **At the tender age of eight, Anya had a hard time making friends. But thanks to the Millennium Charm, Anya sensed the goodness in Yugi's heart and approached him. Yugi was quite shy around her at first, but she didn't give up. In time, the two grew very close and were nearly inseparable. Anya admires his kindness and passion for games while he admires her for her determination and protectiveness. To this day, they remain good friends along with a healthy rivalry when it comes to Duel Monsters.

As for Yami, Anya was one of the first to notice Yugi's change in a duel after he completed the Millennium Puzzle. This may be because Nakia was awakened not long after Yami was. Even without the interference of Nakia, she and Yami have a strong bond.

**Dimitri Mirov**: At one time, Anya and her older brother Dimitri were as close as can be. When their mother had disappeared, Dimitri became very secretive and over time, shut Anya completely out of his life. Any time they would meet, his mood towards her and/or her friends would usually be scornful and bitter (kind of imagine him being like Kaiba). Despite that, he does actually care and will be protective of Anya around anyone that may try to do her harm.

**Silent Magician: **From day one, the Silent Magician has been Anya's most trusted friend and partner out of every other monster in her Duel Monster deck. In fact, the two are so deeply connected that in a duel, Anya will do everything and anything to keep him safe from any kind of attack and he in turn protects her from any magical forces that try to harm her. Of course, the way they converse is quite strange. Silent Magician cannot speak with words, so instead, he uses his mind to send concepts and images to Anya's mind, thus using them to create his thoughts into words. Anya, for some reason, always feels at her safest when his card is in her deck.

**Saffira, Queen of Dragons**: Saffira had not been around nearly as long as Anya's closer monsters such as Silent Magician and Black Rose Dragon, yet she has just as strong of a connection. In fact, even though Saffira was not made a part of Anya's deck until the beginning of Duelist Kingdom, she was often used in Anya's finishing turns of her duels. And while Anya has no clue as to where this attachment came from and how it happened so fast, she knows she wouldn't trade it for anything.

**Joey Wheeler**: At first sight, Anya couldn't help but develop a schoolgirl crush on him. However, she never chose to act on those feelings because of the constant bullying that he and Tristan did with Yugi. She was, of course, skeptical when they wanted to become friends, but she eventually warmed up to them. While competing at Duelist Kingdom, a haughty canine-based duelist named Lupin was drawn to her and wouldn't leave her alone. Desperate to get her off of his back, she lied about having a boyfriend, blurting out the first name that came to mind: Joey Wheeler. Realizing her mistake, Anya practically begged Joey to pretend to be her boyfriend. After a bit of "friendly persuasion", Joey agreed to the act. They managed to keep up the act all the way up to Lupin getting kicked out of Duelist Kingdom and well beyond that. Soon enough, what was once fake became actual puppy love which grew over time into something more.

**Rehema "Rey":** When Anya met Rehema, she had nearly drowned after escaping Marik's ship. Afterwards, the two were nearly inseparable as they went on with their quest for the Locator Cards and helping Yami to defeat Marik. At first, Anya was skeptical of this girl considering Rehema also wielded a Millennium Item: the Millennium Sundial. However, the two do share a strong connection after learning more about each other. According to a certain stone tablet, however, their kinship is far more than mere coincidence: this friendship may have been rekindled after a strong friendship developed over 5,000 years ago between their ancestors!

**Nakia**: Anya can't help but feel that having Nakia as one of her two Yamis to be both a blessing and a curse. But most of the time, it seems more like a curse. While Nakia acted as sort of a replacement motherly figure and her wisdom has saved Anya countless times, she also does many things without Anya's consent. For the most part, Nakia does have Anya's best interest at heart, but much like she was 5,000 years ago, her loyalty to the Pharaoh exceeds anything else, including her Hikari's life. This has resulted in Anya setting her life on the line for the sake of Yugi and Yami against her will. This has also brought Anya to consider whether or not her loyalty and friendship to Yami and Yugi is truly her own, or if it's forced upon by Nakia.

**Amunet**: Amunet is the second Yami residing within the Millennium Charm. Unlike Nakia, Amunet is actually concerned with Anya's safety and is actually more open to her with giving advice and dueling strategies. This may be because Amunet is Anya's ancient ancestor and had developed a deep fondness for her. While her loyalty to the Pharaoh remains strong, she believes that helping Anya achieve her destiny will help Yami as well, and will help her in any way that she can. As for Anya, she thinks of Amunet as the little sister she never had and always wanted.

**Bakura/Yami Bakura:** Ryou Bakura, in Anya's opinion, is by far the most adorable creature she had ever laid eyes on. She is often seen with her arm wrapped around his shoulder and playfully messing up his hair. This has frequently brought up the question of whether or not the two are a couple, to which both of them say no. Anya says no because she sees Bakura as more of a brother (or at least what a brother _should _be) than a boyfriend. Bakura admitted to his denial for the sole reason that he's entirely intimidated by Anya's fiery attitude, but still likes her as a friend and a bit of a protective sisterly figure.

Yami Bakura...well, Yami Bakura is an entirely different matter. Due to a trick placed upon the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Charm is unable to detect the evil no matter how close it is. Even when these two do clash, it isn't a very pleasant experience. Yami Bakura constantly mocks Anya's so-called strategies in Duel Monsters, saying that she is nothing without the spirits of her monsters to guide her in a duel and relying on their advice. Anya always retaliates with she's plenty strong and the support and encouragement of her friends (human and Duel Monster alike) only make her stronger. Even without Amunet's past experience with the spirit of the Millennium Ring in Ancient Egypt, Anya despises Bakura, but cannot help but be even more afraid of him than any other enemy that she along with Yugi and Yami encounter.

**Tea, Tristan, Mai, Duke, Serenity: **While Anya doesn't spend as much time with them, she certainly does have a protective nature when she's around them. Anya considers all of them friends, but doesn't feel as necessarily close to them as she does Yugi, Yami, Joey, and Rehema.

**FAMILY TREE:**

**Amunet (deceased; ancient ancestor):** Anyone can tell just by looking at these two (if they could actually see Amunet's spirit) that they could easily pass off as identical twins. Even so, Amunet is Anya's Egyptian ancestor from 5,000 years ago on her mother's side. For some strange reason, all of Amunet's descendants mainly consist of girls, which was actually considered a good thing since they believed that only a female heart could activate and control the Millennium Charm. These two are actually quite the polar opposites: Anya is very outgoing, expressive, and rarely ever hesitates. Amunet, however, is actually quite shy, cautious, but extremely sweet and mild-mannered. Even with these and many other differences, they do have many things in common: whatever they do, they do for the safety of their loved ones, they never give up no matter how high the odds are stacked against them, and they have big hearts with a lot of love to share.

**Eboni Mubarak-Mirov (missing; mother)**: As much as Anya and her father love each other, Anya and her mother were as close as close could be. These two did nearly everything together, mainly drawing and gardening. However, that all ended when Eboni had disappeared on a archeological expedition. Anya had been completely distraught for the first year without her mother or really anyone, but slowly began to recover.

**Vladimir Mirov (age 44; father)**: Anya absolutely adores her father. He is of Russian descent, thus she given a Russian name rather than an Egyptian one. He is a person that Anya describes as a man with "no bark or bite," at least when it's just between them. Vladimir loved having her and Dimitri along with their mother as they traveled all over the world with his archeological career, but of course with the disappearance of their mother and his wife, he had no choice but to send them to his younger brother, Nikolai. It was obvious to know that Anya was **not **happy with that decision, but eventually got over it. As of today, they are still on extremely good terms and look forward to the brief times in which he comes to visit his children.

**Dimitri Mirov (age 19; brother)**: Their current relationship isn't as strained as everyone sees it. Truthfully, they were the best of friends as children, but went downhill fast at the disappearance of their mother. Whether it was the sadness from losing their mother or possibly anger and blamed Anya for her disappearance is not known for sure. Still, Anya loves her brother and Dimitri looks out for her without really letting it show. While the relationship isn't exactly the most ideal, it is obvious to the observant eye that they care deeply about each other.

**DUELIST INFO**

**Duelist Ranking**: 4.5

**Dominant Monster Type**: Dragons

**Deck (in general):**

**Main Deck:**

_1x Silent Magician  
_

_1x Chione, Sacred Serpent of the Nile_

_1x Hyozanryu  
_

_1x Odd-Eyes Dragon_

_1x Red Eyes Black Dragoness_

_1x Red-Eyes Retro Dragon  
_

_1x A Feather of the Phoenix_

_1x Lord of D._

_1x Super Polymerization _

_1x Lady of D._

_1x DNA Surgery  
_

_1x Wattail Dragon  
_

_1x Flute of Summoning Dragon_

_1x Blue Rose Dragon_

_1x Saffira, Queen of Dragons  
_

_1x Darkworld Thorns_

_1x Fusion Gate_

_1x Card of Sanctity_

_1x United We Stand  
_

_1x Red-Eyes B. Chick_

_1x Lightning Vortex_

_1x Cost Down  
_

_1x Wattpheasant_

_1x Heavy Storm  
_

_1x Seiyaryu_

_1x Summoned Skull_

_1x Diffusion Wave-Motion_

_1x Monster Reborn_

_1x Barrel Lily_

_1x Prime Material Dragon  
_

_1x Bird of Roses_

_1x Ancient Dragon_

_1x Blue Dragon Summoner  
_

_1x Castle of Dragon Souls_

__1x Phoenixian Seed__

_1x Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis_

_1x Hymn of Light  
_

_1x Dragard_

_1x Decoy Dragon_

_1x Amulet of Ambition_

_1x Venom Cobra_

_1x Swords of Revealing Light_

_1x Draining Shield_

_1x Advanced Ritual Art_

_1x Buster Blader  
_

_1x My Body as a Shield  
_

_1x Enchanted Javelin_

_1x Rose Archer_

_1x Divine Dragon Ragnarok_

_1x Safe Zone_

_1x Exploder Dragon_

_1x Tri-horned Dragon  
_

_1x Owner's Seal_

_1x Twilight Rose Knight  
_

_1x Divine Dragon Apocralyph_

_1x Wattwoodpecker_

**Extra Deck:**

_1x Black Rose Dragon_

_1x Dragon Knight Draco-Equiste_

_1x Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer_

_1x First of the Dragons_

_1x King Dragun_

_1x Light End Dragon_

_**Total Cards: 61 **__(55 in _**Main**, 6_ in _**Extra**)

_**Rarest Card: **__Black Rose Dragon, Chione, Sacred Serpent of the Nile  
_

_**Favorite Card: **__Black Rose Dragon_

**_Duelist_**_** Rank:**__ 4.5/5_

**_Winning/Losing/Tied Record: _**_30/8/6_

**SPECIAL ITEMS**

**Millennium Charm:** (That's right, I made my own ancient mystical item! Deal with it!)

**Appearance**: A bracelet made of black leather with golden feathers and a golden heart charm with the Millennium symbol. This charm is about the size of a shot glass.

**Owner(s):** Anya Stevenson (current), Amunet (previous), Nakia (creator and previous)

**Abilities:** Unlike many of the Millennium items, the Millennium Charm chooses its bearer by the size and strength of his or her heart. After finding its proper bearer, the Millennium Charm grants its user with an increased sense of intuition, giving them a stronger judge of character. Basically, he or she can sense the good and evil within people, though it is hard to determine specifically what is evil about a person if he or she feels this way.

This Millennium item also has the power to sense truth and lies. If someone lies or is not who they say they are, the bearer will know about it. However, unless multiple lies are spoken separately, it is hard to pinpoint the truth from the lie.

As with the dueling monsters, The Millennium Charm gives its bearer the ability to communicate telepathically with the spirits of the monsters through the cards. Even the Egyptian God Cards are not immune to this ability, but will only speak if they believe the bearer of the Millennium Charm is worthy. One could even listen to the thoughts of the monsters of other duelers, though they won't be as open.

However, as with any magical item, it does come with its price. While intuition is strongly increased, it often interferes with the bearer's emotions. When near danger, whether they know what it is or not, the bearer often experiences strong anxiety, fear, clinginess, and paranoia. This, however, can be overcome with practice.

When making a pact or a promise, the Millennium Charm locks it within itself and the bearer, making he or she abide by that promise no matter what future circumstances, even if the bearer is forced against his or her will.. In this situation, there are only two ways to break the lock: the first way is for the person who joined in that promise (if there are more) lets them out of that promise.

The other way is slightly more complicated. Much like a real heart, the Millennium Charm dislikes betrayal on all levels. In the event that the person on the opposite end of the pact violates the terms of the deal in anyway, the deal is broken and so is the lock on the bearer. There will be cases in which one pact will conflict with another. In this case, two factors come into affect in which will decide which one will be kept and which will be broken. The first factor is how long the pact has been in effect. For example, if a pact was made one week before another conflicting one, the oldest would win. The second and most important one is how much strength of the heart was put into the pact. Even a heart-filled promise that is one day old can overcome an older one with only half of the heart put into it.

The only notable ability not used towards the bearer is emotional manipulation. Depending on the mood of the bearer, others around her will feel the same. However, on a much darker note, the bearer can single out a person and control their emotions, causing surprisingly disastrous situations. Also, if not careful, the Millenium Charm can even inflict this power on the bearer herself.

On a less negative note, the bearer of the Millennium Charm are able to overwhelm the powers of other Millennium Items so long as their hearts are strong enough. However, even if they are strong enough, the bearer will often suffer from the following symptoms as a result of using so much of their heart's strength: uncontrollable shaking, severe drop in body temperature, graphic nightmares, extreme sensitivity to nearby emotional reactions (good feelings will make the bearer heal faster, evil feelings will make symptoms worse), hallucinations, clinginess, intense dizziness and drowsiness. Nobody has died from these symptoms, but it will hinder their performance greatly if not given enough time to heal.

The Millennium Charm was also very precious and sought after because of its interesting connection to the Shadow Realm. Should the bearer be attempted to be sent to the Shadow Realm that is **NOT** by penalty of losing a Shadow Game, the Charm will cast the bearer's mind and spirit into a protective barrier and force it to become dormant within his/her body. Should this have happened, Nakia (or anyone else with the power of a Millennium Item) would merely enter the world of the Millennium Charm and reawaken the spirit within and bring them back. In addition, even by penalty of losing a Shadow Game, the bearer will be sent not to the Shadow Realm, but to Shadow Limbo (basically the thin line between the real world and the Shadow Realm) for a various amount of time. In other words, the bearer of the Millennium Charm **cannot** be sent to the Shadow Realm **UNLESS** he or she is not wearing it.

More secrets are being revealed as time goes by.

**History**: The Millenium Charm, much like the other Millenium items, were created from the darkest of souls. Nakia was chosen as its bearer and used it quite wisely. When she was destroyed, her spirit was locked away, Amunet took her place years later. Many years later, Amunet sealed her own spirit away in order to fulfill a promise. Finally, Anya was chosen as the third and final bearer.

**OC Duel Monster Cards:**

_**Chione (pronounced Key-oh-nay), Sacred Serpent of the Nile**_

**History**: To start, Chione was not always an Egyptian Goddess Monster. She first began her life as a mortal baby, but was born extremely sick. When her father begged the Egyptian Gods to help her, he was told to set her body into the Nile River since it was considered the life source of Egypt. When she was, her black hair turned a royal violet, and her violet eyes turned golden, a sure sign that her body was touched and blessed by the Gods. As a result, she was spared and became a healthy infant once again and was given the name Chione in honor of the Nile River.

Chione grew up a princess, underneath her father King Akununkanon and her twin brother, Yami. Throughout her life, Chione was a compassionate girl and only wanted to protect her friends and her people from harm. Upon the arrival of Zorc the Dark One, after many of the defenses had fallen, Chione found a way to give aid to her brother and her kingdom, but would involve a great sacrifice. Since she had a piece of the Egyptian Gods locked within her, she offered her mortal body and soul as a sacrifice to the Gods in order to protect her loved ones. Instead of the Gods stopping Zorc themselves, they destroyed Chione's human body and transformed her into the Sacred Serpent of the Nile. It wasn't until after the battle was won that her body was sealed away in stone (much to the sadness of many), but Chione knew that she would one day be needed again.

In the present, Chione is the fourth and final of the Egyptian God Cards. Like the other three, Chione has hidden abilities that can only be accessed by a few chosen. This Egyptian God Card was stolen by Rehema before Marik could get to it and was delivered to Ishizu. To keep the card safe and aid Yugi, she bestowed the card to Anya. When Anya asked why give the card to her when it would be safest with Yugi, Ishizu merely answered that it was fate that Anya received the card.

**Attribute: **Divine Beast

**Level**: 10

**Attack/Defense PTS.:** 4000/4000

**Description**: Everyone from Princes to Pirates have flocked to the Nile River for the desirably priceless scales and fangs that were discarded by this powerful serpent. Those lucky enough to receive one often wore it for the lore of bringing great fortune and prosperity.

**Abilities**: Chione's attack points increase by 1000 for every Magic and Trap card that is on both sides of the field. Chione cannot be affected or destroyed by Magic or Trap Cards, nor by card effects. She can only be defeated in battle. Another ability she has is **Instant Regroup,** which allows Chione to remove herself from the field for one turn with the cost of decreasing 2000 of her attack and defense points, keeping her safe from attacks. **Power Constrictor **is one other secret ability. When Chione is about to be attacked by a more powerful monster, she automatically coils around them and squeezing half of their attack points away. This ability can only be used once per turn.

**Physical Appearance**: Like all of the Egyptian Gods, Chione is also a powerful behemoth (as quoted by Marik). The overall color of her body is a deep violet, almost black with a lighter shade as her underbelly (Don't worry. A general sketch will be made and posted). Her body is serpentine-like and she has no limbs aside for her set of large wings. She also has a series of fins on her body, including a large fin on her tail.

_**Red Eyes Black Dragoness**_

**Attribute: **Dark

**Level: **6

**Attack/Defense PTS.:** 2200/2600

**Description/Effect**: This card can be Special Summoned from your deck, hand, or graveyard if you or an opponent controls one or more "Red-Eyes B. Dragon." This card cannot target "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" and this card cannot be targeted by "Red-Eyes B. Dragon."

* * *

_Ancient Egypt_

"I've never seen this Millennium Item before, Nakia. What does _this _one do?" the young prince Yami asked, standing on his toes to get a better look at what his caretaker was holding in her lap. At first glance, it merely looked like a black leather bracelet downed in golden feathers and at its center, a golden heart charm with the symbol of the Millennium Items.

Nakia, high priestess and sworn guardian of the young prince, smiled and set it on her wrist, "I shall show you. Seiyaryu! Come hither and make your presence known!"

The heart began to glow brightly and upon Nakia's diadiankh, the scripture of a creature appeared. A beam of white light zoomed into the garden where they sat, making the young prince cover his eyes from the intensity. When the light died down, Yami removed his arm from his eyes and gasped.

In front of them, a large pink dragon stood before them, spreading its wings before giving out a loud screech. Yami shuddered and hid himself behind Nakia, who chuckled fondly, "Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you."

"H-he won't...?" Yami timidly asked, coming out just a little bit further and casted his amethyst eyes upon the creature, who cocked his head and looked around at its surroundings. "But...but why?"

"That is the power of the Millennium Charm, my Prince," Nakia closed her eyes as she continued. "When I summon my Shadow Creatures, they automatically obey the desires of my heart through the Charm. Since I wish no harm upon you, that is exactly what they will do. In fact, so long as they are around you, they'll be as gentle as a lamb."

"Really?" the young prince asked in wonder.

Nakia merely waved a hand, "Go on and judge for yourself. But just remember that so long as I am nearby, Seiyaryu will not bring harm upon you."

Yami gulped lightly, but removed himself from behind his caretaker and cautiously made his way towards the creature. Seiyaryu apparently took note of his presence, casting his blue eyes onto the prince as he came ever closer to him. The young prince carefully held out a hand and, defying what his fears told him what the creature would do, Seiyaryu bumped his snout against his hand and hummed loudly.

He smiled brightly and patted the beast gently on the snout. Nakia smiled gently and looked to the sky, praying to the Gods of Egypt that this would mean Atem would always be and feel safe within the walls of his own home.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This information will be updated, so keep checking back on this page.**

**Okay, I know that this isn't the best beginning, but I promise it will pick up. Again, this is my first time in the fandom. If you have any criticism, please be gentle. Bye!**


	2. The Mystery Duelist I

**And so we begin our story with the start of Season 2. If you haven't read the updated version of the last chapter, please do so before continuing. Other than that, here are just a few things you need to know about the dialogue in this story:**

"This" **is regular talking.**

_These_ **are thoughts and regular dialogue in flashbacks.**

_'This'_ **is when the Yamis are speaking with their Hikaris and vice versa.**

**_"This"_ is when the spirits of the monsters speak to Anya.**

**"This" is Anya speaking back to them telepathically. **

**Remember these and it will be impossible to get lost in the dialogue. Anyway, I do not own Yu-gi-oh or its characters. I only own Anya, the Millennium Charm, and the fourth Egyptian God Card. Enjoy!**

Anya hummed as she brushed her hair, adding the finishing touches onto herself before heading to the soccer game. In only a few moments, she would leave to meet with Tea and Yugi where they would leave for the game.

_**Misssstressss, Ssssooon we will leave, yessss?**_

Anya glanced over her shoulder, throwing a semi-annoyed glance at the Venom Cobra spirit that laid curled up on her bed.

**How many times have I told you, Venom, that the game doesn't start for half an hour. I'm meeting the gang at Yugi's and it's only a five minute walk. We'll go in a minute. Now get back in the deck!**

Venom Cobra hissed softly before his body became just a stream of smoke, sneaking its way back into the deck of Duel Monsters. She picked it up and stuck them in her pocket-side deck holder. Hey, in a place like Domino City, you can get challenged to a duel at any time of the day. It never hurts to have them on hand.

_**Remind me again why we keep him with us, **_commented a rumbling female voice.

Anya smiled and closed her eyes, standing up and straightening her scarf and sash before grabbing her satchel.

**You know why as well as I do, Rose. Besides, he means well.**

Rose. More specifically, the voice belonged to one of Anya's favorite and most powerful monsters in her whole deck: The Black Rose Dragon. The two had dueled together for as long as Anya could remember. She actually came in the first pack of Duel Monsters cards that she had ever gotten, though it had taken her a long while before she even knew how to use the card properly.

* * *

"Hey, Anya! Good to see you!" Tea greeted as the raven-haired girl approached she and Mr. Muto.

"Greetings and salutations," Anya mockingly bowed. "I assume you guys are ready to go?"

"_Almost _ready," Tea answered. She then called up, "C'mon, Yugi! Anya's here! We gotta go!"

"Coming!" Yugi cried out as he bolted out of the door. "Sorry, guys."

"About time, Yugi," Tea said.

Yugi nodded apologetically, "Sorry."

"We're gonna be late for the big game! What took you so long?"

Yugi held his Millennium Puzzle thoughtfully and answered, "I…was talking to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. He seems kinda worried."

The girls looked to each other confused before looking back at the boy. Tea asked, "About what?"

"About the future, I think. He said something about destiny being unclear. Ever since we defeated Pegasus together, the Spirit's been talking about our fate, like there's something more he has to do. When you think about it; he doesn't really know that much about himself, like where he came from, why he's here. But I'm babbling and we're late. We should go."

Anya shook her head as Tea replied, "Oh, right! The soccer game! We definitely don't wanna miss it!"

"Bye, grandpa!" Yugi waved.

"See you, Mr. Muto!"

"Catch ya later!"

"Enjoy yourselves. If the game ends early, feel free to come back and help me sweep!"

* * *

"So, who do you think's gonna win?" Tea asked Yugi and Anya.

Anya shrugged, "Don't know. Both teams are pretty good."

"What about you Yugi? Who'll win?"

"Win? Win what?"

"The soccer game, buddy," Anya answered. "We're talking about the soccer game."

Blushing, he replied, "Oh. I-I don't know. Uh…"

Tea laughed lightly, "You don't really care much about sports, do you?"

"Aw, give'im a break, Tea," Anya said. "I can see why he's distracted. I've actually been feeling the same way for the past few days."

"Hmm?" Both Yugi and Tea stopped and turned to her for an explanation.

"Well, maybe not the _exact_ same way, but I know the feeling," Anya brought up the Millennium Charm. "My Charm keeps giving me these weird warnings. They're faint, but they're there."

"Warnings?" Yugi asked. "About what?"

Anya shrugged, "Like I said, I don't know. They're just telling me to be very cautious for some reason. Aw, but we can worry about this later. We've got a soccer game that's gonna start without us!"

With small smiles, Yugi and Tea nodded and the group of three moved on.

"Future's told, fates unfold!" Yugi stopped in mid-step and saw from the corner of his eye something interesting. A man in a dark cloak was sitting at a table with a crystal ball on top. "Step up, boy, and I'll reveal the secrets of your future!"

Curiosity getting the better of him, Yugi did indeed step up to the table. A dim glow flashed upon the surface of the Millennium Charm and made Anya stop. She looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes, backtracking her way over to Yugi.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"What's the matter, Yugi?" Anya asked.

"Guys, maybe this fortuneteller can help me figure out the fate of the spirit inside the Puzzle!"

Tea seemed to nod and agree full-heartedly, "Hmm. Okay, but we really don't have that much time."

Anya, on the other hand, felt the disturbing sting coming from the Millennium Charm; a sure sign that whatever this guy was selling was **definitely** not worth buying. However, she knew it was up to Yugi to sense it. Who knew what could happen if she did and set this mysterious stranger off?

Meanwhile, the man's eyes roamed down and saw something that certainly peeked his interest, "Hmm! Boy! In order to tell your future, I must hold a personal item. Your necklace will do nicely."

Anya's eyebrows arched, her suspicion skyrocketing as Yugi replied, "My what? No. I'm sorry, I can't."

"Then I can't tell your fortune."

Looking mildly disappointed, Yugi said, "Yeah, but..."

"I need it in order to properly read your aura, to see what Fate has in store for you. You do want to know, don't you?"

The boy looked down at his Millennium Puzzle, feeling conflicted with his protectiveness of the item and the temptation of knowing what it will get him into in the future. By now, the Millennium Charm was screaming at Anya to pull Yugi away. To stand between him and the mysterious man so that nothing could harm him.

_**Misssstresss!**_

Anya was alarmed by the sound of Venom Cobra's voice, but even more so when he spoke again,

_**Sssstay away! Evil lurkssss here! Evil will hurt you!**_

**Wait, what do you mean Venom?**

"Okay, but only for a second," Yugi finally answered, removing the chained Millennium Item from around his neck and handing it over to the fortune teller.

"Yugi, I don't know about this…" Tea warned. The man seemed to be thoughtfully examining the item as he held it.

"Hmm. Something's coming to me. I see that this Millennium Item…belongs to _me_!"

Before any of the three could react, the table was flipped towards them. By the time they had recovered, the cloaked man was already zooming down the alley behind him.

"My Millennium Puzzle!"

_Millennium Item? How would this guy _know _about the Millennium Items?! _Anya thought as she rubbed her backside from the soreness.

"Come back here!" Yugi yelled.

"He's getting away, what do we do?" Tea asked worriedly.

"I know what I'm gonna do," Anya muttered, shooting up and running down the alley with Yugi after the man.

"We'll follow him this way, you try to cut him off around the corner!"

"You got it, Yugi!" she yelled before taking off down the sidewalk.

Though they had no idea where he was, Yugi cried out, "You'll never get away with this, you creep!"

"What could this guy want with your Millennium Puzzle, Yugi?"

"I don't know, Anya! But I've got a bad feeling about this!"

* * *

Tea panted as she kept up a fast pace, "There's no sign of that fortuneteller anywhere! I hope Yugi's okay!"

She was so busy looking around for the thief, in fact, that she had not noticed running past Bakura. He was startled to see her rush past, but then decided to get her attention.

"Hey, Tea! What's the rush?" Bakura called out to her.

She turned back on her heel and replied, "Oh, Bakura! Someone stole Yugi's Millennium Puzzle!"

His face took on concern and shock as he replied, "No! Where is Yugi?"

Pointing back the way she came, Tea said, "He and Anya went through the alley! We split up to catch the guy!"

"Well, then don't let me detain you! Keep looking and I'll get some help!"

"Right! Thanks, Bakura!" Tea nodded, turning back on her heel and taking off. Meanwhile, he watched her disappear down the street before his darker side decided to step in.

_No one shall have the Millennium Puzzle but me!_

"I want its power," Yami Bakura muttered, now taking control. He dropped the schoolbag and unzipped his school jacket. "And I'll track both Items with my Millennium Ring!"

The golden artifact came to life, the pointed pendants quivering and pointing in the direction that Tea had mentioned.

"Show me the way," he spoke to the Ring. "Trace the Items' mystical energies and lead me to the Millennium Puzzle _and _the Millennium Charm. If I control all the Millennium Items, I will control power unimaginable. And I will make certain that _nobody_ stands in my way..."

* * *

"Where are you hiding?!" Yugi yelled out. He and Anya followed a path of arrows leading them deeper and deeper into the city.

"Come out and show your face, you coward!" Anya shouted, her patience wearing ever more thin.

Finally, upon the door of an old warehouse, they found one more arrow. This one pointed right at the entrance. The Millennium Puzzle was in there. Anya could feel it with the Charm and she knew Yugi could sense it, too.

"The last arrow...Give me a hand with this, will ya?" Yugi grunted lightly as he pulled on the door. Anya nodded and pulled as well, making the door slide open with ease.

As they entered, both definitely thought that the inside looked just as bad as the outside...if they could even see. The entire place was a dark as night! What they did know was that judging from the outside, this wasn't the safest place to be.

"My Millennium Puzzle's here, Anya. Even though we're apart, I can sense it. But I don't see it."

"Who could?"

Yugi cried out into the darkness, "I know you're in here!"

The two jumped at the sound of maniacal laughter, "Congratulations, little Yugi! You've found me-or should I say, _I've_ found _you_! And the Millennium Puzzle!"

Yugi and Anya gasped as the spotlights were turned on, revealing the Millennium Item hanging by its new chain into a wall. From the looks of it, whatever jammed it in there made sure it wouldn't come out so easily.

"Give it back to me!"

"It's not going to be that easy for you. If you want your Puzzle back, you'll have to fight me for it! That's right, Yugi, you and I are going to duel!"

The lights snapped on in the warehouse, blinding them at first, but then dimmed enough to see quite a sight. An entire dueling arena...in a rundown place like this?

"And the winner gets to keep your Millennium Item! Are you up to the challenge, Yugi? I've been waiting for you a long time," the cloaked stranger chuckled ominously, revealing himself at the other end of the arena.

"Who are you? And what do you want with my Millennium Puzzle?"

The stranger was silent for a moment, but then answered, "I desire the power your Item contains within, but according to the rules of its ancient magic, I have to win it from you in a duel...As for who I am, let's just say that I'm the one who will control your destiny as I have controlled others and that I am not unfamiliar with the power of a Millennium Item!"

Yugi and Anya exchanged strange looks, but looked back when the stranger continued, "Indeed, I understand more about their hidden mysteries than you will ever know! Take your Millennium Puzzle. There are ancient secrets buried within it, of which you, and even the spirit that inhabits it are unaware! That's why I will add it to my collection!"

Anya growled in irritation and impatience of this stranger. If this guy thought he could talk down to one of her best friends like that, then he better be able to change his mind pretty quick!

"I'm not dueling you for my Millennium Puzzle! It already belongs to me!"

"Just beat this guy, Yugi," Anya whispered to him. "He can't be that strong if he didn't have the nerve to challenge you in public."

He nodded, "All right! I accept your challenge!"

"Of course you do," the thief turned and approached the red podium.

_If I have to duel, I'll need the Spirit of the Puzzle to help me. Maybe I can still connect with him_, Yugi thought to himself, concentrating hard to make a connection with Yami.

_'I can...barely hear you, Yugi. Our bond is weak. It's hard to maintain contact. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with this duel. You'll have to fight him...alone.'_

An apprehensive ping struck at his heart as he replied, '_Alone? But I've never fought a duel without you. And if I'm defeated I'll lose you forever!'_

_'You can defeat_ him,' Yami encouraged._ 'Just trust yourself, and your deck, and you'll find a way. And don't forget, Anya will be right by your side.'_

_'You're right. I've got to believe in the Heart of the Cards!' _Yugi nodded confidently. Anya merely kept her heated glare on the cloaked stranger as he mounted on the red podium. She did, however, soften her features as she allowed an aquamarine iris to look at her friend from the corner of her eye.

_'Be very careful, Yugi! I sense a great evil!' _Yugi gasped as he heard Yami's voice echo away before disappearing completely.

"Spirit!"

Anya smiled, setting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly, "Go get'im, Yugi. This guy's got nothing on you!"

With that little bit of extra confidence, Yugi returned the smile and nodded. He mounted the blue podium and the dueling arena came to life as the holographic projectors activated.

"Prepare to lose your precious Puzzle."

Yugi defiantly replied, "I don't think so!"

The stranger merely chuckled darkly, "Remember, Yugi. I've seen your future; foretold your fate. And this duel...will be your last."

"Man, this guy is really getting on my nerves," Anya muttered heatedly. Her eyes roamed up to the Millennium Puzzle. She knew that this duel was for that Puzzle and that Yugi could whoop this guy blindfolded...but still, what if he tried to double-cross Yugi even if he won the duel?

_I need to get that Puzzle down. I might need to hand it over if this cloaked con-artist actually wins, but why take the chance of him stealing it again if Yugi wins?_

She looked around, and then sweatdropped, _But I guess it would help if I could actually reach it..._

"It's time to duel!" Yugi cried out, planning his strategy from the cards he just drew. "I place the Celtic Guardian (**1400**/**1200**) on the field, in attack mode! I've made my play, now you make yours!"

"I place my monster in defense mode."

As the shimmer of the card lit up on the other side of the field, Yugi called out, "What's the matter, don'tcha have the courage to face me head-on?!"

"...I don't_ need_ to. _You're_ the one that better go on the offensive if you hope to win back your Puzzle!" This answer startled the two children, but Yugi managed to keep his cool and make his next move.

"All right, then, I attack with my Celtic Guardian!"

The large warrior came charging forward with his sword to slash at the monster in defense mode. The stranger merely chuckled, "Heh. That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Yugi. Your attack has activated the power of my Cyber Jar (**900**/**900**)."

"This machine card destroys every monster on the field!" Once both monsters were destroyed, he continued, "And it also requires us to draw five new cards. Let's see what you've got up your pathetic sleeve this time, little Yugi."

Setting down and stacking up a staircase of various crates and debris, Anya saw Yugi thinking up a new strategy, "I'm placing my monster in defense mode!"

"And I'm placing mine in attack mode! Meet Mechanicalchaser (**1850**/**800**) and Ground Attacker Bugroth (**1500**/**1000**)!"

_More machine cards! Wait...this seems familiar! There's only one player I know whose deck is filled with machine cards!_ Yugi thought before yelling aloud,

"Show yourself, Bandit Keith!"

The stranger did not hesitate to remove his hood, which revealed him to be Bandit Keith after all. For the first time ever, he didn't wear his sunglasses, which also showed just how blank and dull his facial expression and eyes were.

"Wow. That's probably the smartest Bandit Keith's ever looked," Anya muttered as she finally climbed her way to the top of the dueling field.

_I was right! But why would Bandit Keith disguise himself and steal my Millennium Puzzle? The last time we saw him was when he battled Joey in the Duelist Kingdom tournament. He broke the rules, but Joey beat him! _Yugi thought to himself.

"What happened to you?"

"I'm not Bandit Keith. I only speak through him, since he's become, my mind-controlled slave," he replied, making them notice something that had escaped their notice before. From what they could tell, Bandit Keith was talking, but his voice was a mixture of his own...and someone else's.

"What do you mean? How can this be?! Tell me!" Yugi demanded.

"After Bandit Keith was ejected by Pegasus from Duelist Kingdom, he fought for his life against the harsh ocean waters. My followers and I were on the way to retrieve some very special items, when we fished him out of the sea. I'm always looking for new minds to control, and Bandit Keith seemed like the perfect puppet to do my bidding...and, as fate would have it, he led me right to you: the boy who possesses the legendary Millennium Puzzle!"

Yugi stayed silent, not sure if he could completely comprehend what this mysterious puppetmaster was saying to him, "Is it all sinking in now, little Yugi? Now that I have found you after all these years, I will stop at nothing to make your Puzzle, and all of the ancient powers it possesses within it, my own."

"Don't let this creep psyche you out, Yugi!" Anya shouted up to him. "Keep your head in the game and you can't lose!"

"I grow tired of hearing you talk, girl," he said. What happened next was all but a shock to both of the children.

Anya yelped as a sudden, unseen force pushed her back, though she was able to grab onto the chain of the Millennium Puzzle before she could fall. The Millennium Charm took on a powerful glow, which seemed to be pushing at the same force that had pushed her away. It was almost as if her Millennium Item was fighting off the forces of another. When the magical forces disappeared, both children looked across the field as 'Bandit Keith' chuckled ominously.

"The bearer of the Millennium Charm. I should've known only _you_ would be desperately loyal enough to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle to stand by the side of this little runt."

She narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits, "How about you keep your interest in the duel. That's the only way you'll _ever _hope to win against Yugi."

"...As you wish. I play Machine King (**2200**/**2000**) in attack mode! My new monster gets an extra one hundred attack points for every machine that's on the field. That's three hundred more points (**2500**)! Machine King, attack with Jet Punch!"

Machine King's clenched fists shot out with a fiery blast and obliterated Yugi's facedown card, which happened to be Silver Fang (**1200**/**800**).

As soon as the arms returned and reattached, 'Bandit Keith' said, "You may as well give up now!""

"It's not over yet!" Yugi answered as he drew his next card. "I play another card in defense mode!"

"Your defenses are useless against my mechanical army!" After drawing, 'Bandit Keith' made his next move. "Especially now that I'm adding this machine to my troop! Megasonic Eye (**1500**/**1800**)! It adds another one hundred attack points to Machine King (**2600**), making him even more deadly! Machine King, attack now!"

Again, Machine King attacked Yugi's facedown card, which was revealed to be his Giant Soldier of Stone (**1300**/**2000**).

"No! My stone soldier!"

"That's right- all your defenses are gone! Give up, yet? You have no idea the power you're up against, little Yugi."

_This guy is really getting under my skin,_ Anya tightened her grip on the chain, casting a glance up at Yugi. _And it looks like it's not only affecting me._

* * *

"Come on, guys, hurry! Yugi and Anya may be in trouble!"

Joey let his locker slam shut as he quickly put on his sneakers, "Jus' point the way, Tea. We're right behind ya!"

"Yeah, any creep picks on our buddies have to deal with us all!" Tristan said.

"You said it!" Joey grunted as he finally got his shoe on. The three were out the door and ready to help their friends up until they were stopped by the school coach.

"All right, people, just where do you think you're going? You volunteered to help at the soccer game!"

Joey sweatdropped a bit as he answered, "I know, Coach, but, we got an emergency. Eh-"

Tristan took over, gravely explaining, "Tea's cat has gotten sick. We need to take it to the vet."

"Please, we need to help Fluffy," Tea begged, setting her face in her hands and sobbing, "Poor Fluffy!"

Coach Morty, being the sensitive type despite his reputation, set his hands on her shoulders, "I didn't realize your little kitty was sick! Of course you can go.

Joey and Tristan exchanged accomplished looks, but kept up the act, "Yes sir, thank you, Coach!"

"Save that little kitty!" Coach Morty called after them as they ran.

"He's really a softy at heart," Joey said.

"It wasn't cool to mislead Coach Morty!" Tea commented

Tristan replied, "It's an emergency; we had to, Tea!

Joey nodded, "Yeah. Yugi needs us!"

Tea couldn't help but agree, "I hope we can find him!"

The blonde boy merely said, "Don't sweat it, guys! Remember, whoever this creep is, he's gonna have ta get past Anya first. Even the football team doesn't mess with her!"

Tristan laughed, "Yeah. Even _you _have to be careful around your girlfriend so she doesn't blow a fuse!"

Joey blushed profusely and growled, but didn't go any further than that. He knew as well as anyone else that on most days, Anya was a sweet, gentle spirit that wanted nothing more than lend a helping hand to anyone that needed it. However, make one wrong move and that gentleness would melt away faster than a hot fudge sundae on a sunny summer day...still, he couldn't deny that that very unpredictability was what made him like her all the more.

* * *

"Come on, Yugi. Stop stalling! Unless you want to admit defeat," 'Bandit Keith' taunted.

"I'll never give up!" Yugi said. "I have too much at stake in this game. So take this! I play Curse of Dragon (**2000**/**1500**), in attack mode! _And_ I play Gaia, the Fierce Knight (**2300/2100**)! But that's not all; I also use my Polymerization card to combine these two monsters in order to create Gaia, the Dragon Champion (**2600/2100**)! This monster can take your machines apart! Dragon Champion, attack Mechanicalchaser with Double Dragon Lance!

"With Mechanicalchaser gone, your Machine King loses a hundred attack points, and you lose seven hundred and fifty life points!"

Anya leaned against the blue podium, smirking, "Told ya he's got nothing on you, Yugi."

"Very impressive. But what will you do- when I put my weaker monsters in defense mode, to protect them from your Dragon Champion's attacks?" After setting two of his three monsters in defense mode, he then made his next move, "And then play Machine Conversion Factory, a Magic card that adds three hundred attack and defense points, to all of my machine cards!"

"Oh no! You've raised Machine King's power even more!" Yuri gasped

"That's right, enough to overpower your Dragon Champion! Machine King, attack!"

Anya winced as the Dragon Champion was blown off the field, and also lowering Yugi's life points.

"Your offensive is over, Yugi! Your Champion destroyed! I've made Keith's machine monsters' attack strength overwhelming!" 'Bandit Keith' commented. "So why don't you stop resisting and just hand over your Puzzle to me? It's the inevitable conclusion to our game anyway."

_What'm I going to do? I have to stop him somehow, but how?! He's assembled an army of the most rare and powerful machines in Duel Monsters!_ Yugi drew and looked at the card, _Wait! The Summoned Skull! This gives me an idea. But first, I'll have to play a magic card._

"Your machines might be the most impressive I've seen, but they're still made out of metal! So I play Makiu!"

The thick fog of Makiu swarmed the field, clinging to the machine monsters and weakening them. As they rusted and corroded away, so did their attack and defense points.

"You think a little mist'll destroy my machines?" 'Bandit Keith' scoffed.

Yugi countered, "It won't destroy them, but it will cause them to rust, and lower their points!"

"And the mist turns your machine monsters into one gigantic lightning rod. Which makes them the perfect target for my Summoned Skull (**2500/1200**)! Summoned Skull, use your Lightning Strike on Machine King, now!" Yugi commanded. Summoned Skull's eyes glowed a bright red before unleashing a powerful lightning attack and removing Machine King from the field. "Any more machines for the junk heap?!"

"You little...!" 'Bandit Keith' growled under his breath. Anya smirked as the tables were finally turning into her friend's favor.

Yugi got an extra spark of confidence as he shouted, "Now you're the one who's stalling- are you gonna draw, or what!"

"I've picked the Graceful Charity card. By placing this card on the table, I'm able to draw three new cards from my deck. And I'm confident that they'll be exactly the cards I need to end this duel once and for all!"

The cloaked 'Bandit Keith' drew from his deck, "You're finished, little Yugi. I've drawn the ultra-rare Zera Ritual card! It's used to summon one of the most powerful monsters in the game!"

"Whoa," Yugi sighed. "I've never even _heard_ of the Zera Ritual card before, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that I'm about to learn more about it than I really want to know."

'Bandit Keith' nodded, "How perceptive. For once I put Zera Ritual into play, this duel is over!"

"Maybe, but activating a ritual card takes more than just talk. You also need to have the right monster card in your hand, and what're the odds of _that_!"

"No way!" Yugi and Anya gasped.

'Bandit Keith' gave a nod, "Maybe you finally understand the power you are up against, Yugi. Now, Zera Ritual sacrifices my two remaining monsters in order to bring forth the greatest of my creatures! Behold the instrument of your destruction, one of the strongest beasts in Duel Monsters!"

"Behold, Zera the Mant (**2800/2300**)! Our battle ends here! Say goodbye to your Millennium Puzzle! Zera! Attack now!" And with that, Zera slashed at Summoned Skull, destroying the beast.

"Zera obliterated my Summoned Skull, but...I can't give up. You'll never get my Millennium Puzzle!"

_That's it, Yugi. Keep your faith, _Anya nodded at his unbreakable spirit. _You've gotten out of more sticky situations than this. You can't give up hope...you just can't..._

'Bandit Keith' laughed cruelly, "You're finished, little Yugi! With Bandit Keith under my mind control, you'll never win this duel!"

_What do I do now? I have nothing to fight his monster with!_ Yugi looked down at the Puzzle, where Anya still had a firm grip on the chain. _ If only I could call on the Spirit and ask for his help; but we've lost contact!_


	3. The Mystery Duelist II

**Yeah! Final part of the first duel of the story! I can't wait to start the next chapter, so I'm going to reply to some of the comments you guys posted just because I'm glad I'm getting some feedback. Whether you read them or not is up to you. If you want to skip to the story, then be my guest. Reading the following comments is totally optional, but I do recommend that you guys reacquaint yourself with the first chapter of this story with the biography as there have been some important changes made. **

**Brightcloud0915- Thank you. I appreciate the encouragement.**

**AnimeGirl4891- I'm glad this story's caught your interest. Don't worry. More chapters are to come!**

**PharaohsLuver- Yeah. I meant to post relationships before that chapter but then forgot. Sorry about the confusion, but all of the updated information is posted as of now. Anyway, glad you like the story so far. **

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or its characters. I only own my characters, Millennium Item, and Egyptian Goddess. Enjoy!**

_I've got to figure out a way to take control of this duel and win back my Millennium_ _Puzzle_, Yugi thought to himself. _I especially didn't like the way he talked to Anya about the Millennium Charm. What if he comes after her next?!_

From the corner of his eye, he saw Anya still keeping in a very close proximity of the Millennium Puzzle. She still remained as defiant and courageous as she did since the beginning of the duel. She still had faith in him...so that meant he can't afford to lose it now!

"Make your move, Yugi. It's all over, anyway."

Yugi gasped before returning his attention to his cards. He heard 'Bandit Keith' taunt again, "You're just prolonging your defeat. It's quite pathetic, actually. Stare at your deck all you want, there's not a card in there that can take on my powerful Zera the Mant! This duel is over!"

_The Koumori Dragon. Ahh, he's right! It's not strong enough to attack Zera, _Yugi thought to himself. "I play my monster in defense mode! It's your move!"

'Bandit Keith' drew a card before setting it down, "First I play Seiyaryu (**2500/2300**) in attack mode!"

Anya flinched as the pink pterodactyl-like dragon entered the duel with a loud roar. She had one in her own deck, and it was indeed no dragon to take lightly in a duel. However, she also remembered that Yugi was one of the few people who had managed to beat him, so at least there was a chance.

"I place this card facedown," he continued, "And now, last but not least, Stop Defense! It forces the card you played in defense mode, to switch to attack mode!"

The shimmering square on Yugi's side of the field rose up, revealing the Koumori Dragon (**1500/1200**).

"My Koumori Dragon!" Yugi gasped.

"Is revealed, and since it's now in attack mode, I can destroy it! Zera the Mant, Jagged Claw Attack!"

Needless to say that the Koumori Dragon was off of the field just as quickly as it was there in the first place. Yugi gritted his teeth as his Life Points dropped down to 400. If 'Bandit Keith' managed to pull another stunt like that, then the duel would end on a _very_ sour note.

"The end is near, little Yugi."

_There's no way I'm letting this mind-controlling freak get his hands on my Puzzle!_ Yugi glowered to himself, "This duel's not over, whoever you are. I'll never give up!"

After drawing a card, Yugi set it down on the field, "I'm placing a monster in defense mode!"

'Bandit Keith', however, did not seem so impressed, "Your feeble defenses bore me. Seiyaryu, attack with Razor Flare Blast!"

Seiyaryu attacked with a blast of red fire, obliterating the Mystical Elf (**800/2000**) that was placed in defense mode. Both children had to shield their faces away from the blast of the fire.

"I'll also place two more cards on the field and switch Zera the Mant, to defense mode. Confused? This move will become clear to you soon enough!"

_I don't know what kind of stunt this creep's trying to pull, but it can't be good._ Anya thought to herself, turning her silver eyes onto the Millennium Puzzle. _Don't worry, Spirit. Yugi's got this duel finished. I _know_ he does._

Almost as if responding, the eye of the Millennium Puzzle gave off a dim glow as did the Millennium Charm.

_Huh! Now this is more like it!_ Yugi nodded confidently. "This card facedown, then Dark Magician (**2500/2100**) in defense mode."

Anya nodded, approving the move full-heartedly. The Dark Magician was Yugi's strongest card. It didn't match up to Zera's attack strength, but she had a feeling that Yugi had that part covered.

"Finally, I play Magical Hats to hide him!"

The giant top hat of Magical Hats covered the Dark Magician before splitting into three more, "Now you'll have to find my Dark Magician in order to attack him!"

'Bandit Keith' seemed to smirk, "Hm. I should've seen that coming. Oh wait! I did. So I'll play Magic Jammer! Sorry, Yugi, but once I sacrifice a card from my hand, Magic Jammer allows me to disable your magic card. Say goodbye to your Magical Hats, and hello to your Dark Magician!"

In an instant, Magical Hats disappeared and revealed the still defensive Dark Magician. At least even if he did land an attack, Yugi wouldn't lose Life Points.

"Oh no! My Dark Magician's exposed!" Yugi seemed to start losing his cool, thought Anya, from the sound of his voice.

"And now I'll play this! It's a magic card called Curse of Fiend, Yugi. It forces both of our monsters on the field to switch from whatever mode they're in to the opposite. So therefore, all monsters in attack mode go into defense mode, and vice versa. Since I put Zera in defense mode before, it switches to attack mode now."

"Oh crud…" Anya cursed to herself. So, he _did _have a plan all along.

All monsters on the field then switched their modes: Seiyaryu to defense mode, and Zera and Dark Magician to attack mode.

"And so does your Dark Magician! Zera! Attack now!" the girl closed her eyes, awaiting the impending doom that awaited Yugi's Dark Magician.

"Nice try, but now I activate Mirror Force! It reflects Zera's attack right back at you!" Yugi countered, activating the Trap Card and making Zera's slashing rays bounce right off of Dark Magician and go right for his own monster.

Anya sighed in obvious relief before tensing as 'Bandit Keith' flipped his own trap, "Ha! I'll block your reflection with a little Solemn Judgment!"

An old man flanked by angels deflected the redirected attack, making it go right for the Dark Magician once again.

"No way! How did you block my Mirror Force reflection?"

"Solemn Judgment's another of my rare and powerful cards! I have to give up half of my Life Points to use it, but in exchange I'm allowed to remove the last card my opponent played! Your Mirror Force is shattered!"

As he said, the translucent wall in front of Dark Magician vanished. The attack struck him down and shattered his form, bringing Yugi's Life Points down to 100.

'Bandit Keith's' was at 250 though, so Yugi still had a chance to turn things around in his favor. At least, Anya thought, if luck is on Yugi's side.

"It may've cost me 250 Life Points, but that's a small price to pay because now, little Yugi, I'm one attack away from winning your Puzzle."

* * *

From above the arena, upon a railed platform, Yami Bakura entered the scene.

_I'm getting closer. I can feel it!_

He stopped and looked down, _What's this?_

Below his feet, Yugi was dueling against someone who looked awfully familiar to him. He also saw that Anya was standing in very close proximity to both of the items he was seeking.

_A dueling arena? They're battling for the Millennium Puzzle!_

* * *

_Okay. Come on, deck, I believe in you! I know you'll come through for me!_ Yugi thought desperately as he drew his next card. Upon examining it, his spark of hope was ignited once again.

"I'm placing a magic card facedown, and a monster in defense mode. Now let's see what you've got!"

'Bandit Keith', still as expressionless as ever, merely said, "You'll regret those words, little Yugi. You may've gotten this far, but my patience is growing thin. It's time to end this duel, and claim the power that is mine!"

However, Yugi was being just as defiant, "You'll never get my Millennium Puzzle!"

"Guess again! Tribute To the Doomed!"

Both Anya and Yugi gasped as the latter said, "Whoa! That's one of the rarest magic cards in the game!"

"Very perceptive, Yugi. Tribute To the Doomed is one of my personal favorites. It allows me to annihilate any monster you have on the field!"

A mummy emerged out of the card, making Anya shudder unpleasantly. Something about mummies just crept the life out of her. The bandages of the mummy shot out like tentacles, shooting right for Yugi's facedown monster.

"Better think again!" Yugi exclaimed, flipping his Magic Card, Living Arrow, up.

"It can't be!"

"It is! The Living Arrow, which takes any magic attack aimed at me, and fires it right back at you!"

The golden arrow fired at the bandages, making them change direction and wrapping them around Zera the Mant. A giant hand clawed at the mummified monster, dragging it off to the Graveyard.

"No! Zera!"

_Fascinating_, Yami Bakura thought to himself. _It appears the shadow magic energies I detect are within Yugi's opponent. Bandit Keith is just a puppet, under the control of an evil master. Well, this puppet show is over for I alone shall possess the Millennium Puzzle and the Millennium Charm!_

With a slight scowl, Bakura commanded, "Ring, sever the strings that bind this man! Free his mind from the Shadow Realm!"

The Millennium Ring took on a powerful yet eerie glow. Though it appeared to be doing nothing at first, 'Bandit Keith's' face suddenly seemed to pop out, his eyes wide and fearful and his expression desperate to be free.

_What the…?_ Anya narrowed her eyes, as if what she were seeing wasn't actually real.

"Huh...! Where am I?! And what on Earth am I wearing?!"

Her eyes widened then. Now _that _was the voice of the Bandit Keith that she and her friends had the unfortunate privilege of meeting at Duelist Kingdom.

"It looks like your so-called _unbeatable_ Zera the Mant card is ancient history! Now it's time for me to win this duel once and for all and take back my Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi called out, his confidence fueled back up, though he did fail to take notice of Bandit Keith's release from his control.

"Yugi Muto?! What're you doin' here!" Bandit Keith exclaimed. Suddenly, his face twisted violently, as if some inner and more powerful force were attacking his mind.

Yugi gasped, "Bandit Keith! You're back!

Bandit Keith grasped his head with both hands, concentrating with great difficulty to regain control of his mind, "There's someone inside my head-Shut up and duel!"

It was very clear to see that the last words were not truly Bandit Keith talking, but the one who was controlling him. Or at least he was trying to.

"Keith?" Yugi asked out of concern.

Still, Bandit Keith continued to fight whatever was trying to take him over, "GO AWAY!"

"Keith, you moron! Stop screaming and answer our questions!" Anya shouted. "Who the heck is trying to control you?!"

"No! Stop! Leave me alone! Aaaaaaaaaaahh!" Bandit Keith screamed. Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes blank once again. Obviously whoever lost his grip over Keith regained it once again, "I'm back! Before I lose complete control, I've got to destroy it!"

He leapt down from his podium, dashing across the dueling arena.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be off of your podium while a duel's still going on!" Anya protested.

"Out of my way, foolish girl!" 'Bandit Keith' roughly grabbed her by the wrist and shoved her off to the side. She grunted as her back hit the hologram device before sliding to the ground.

"Anya! You okay?!" Yugi asked.

Gritting her teeth, she merely nodded until she heard 'Bandit Keith' exclaim, "If I can't have this Puzzle, no one can!"

Her eyes widened as he had a grip on the Millennium Puzzle. From the way he was holding it, both Anya and Yugi had a pretty good idea of what he was planning on doing with it.

Yugi reached down desperately to stop him, but was too far away, "No! Keith, wait! Don't!"

But it was too late. 'Bandit Keith' smashed the Millennium Puzzle off of the blue podium, making it explode in a frenzy of golden pieces falling to the ground.

"NOOOO!"

"You freak! Do you know what you've just done?!" Anya bellowed angrily.

She didn't know what came over her, mainly because she thought that the shock from the scene would leave her speechless. But something in her just ignited at the sight of the Millennium Puzzle being destroyed. Even the feathers on her Millennium Charm began to glow and shudder violently, making a loud sound not unlike the warning of a rattlesnake.

"AAAAH! Stop! Go away!"

He suddenly jerked, a maniacal grin flashing on his face as he said, "Aahh-!I'm back again!"

"That's quite enough of that!"

Anya and Yugi gasped at the familiar voice, but that thought got cut off quite quickly as a blur of blue and white swung down from a chain. Bakura threw himself at 'Bandit Keith, knocking him off of the side of the dueling arena.

"Where'd _you_ come from?" Yugi gaped as he jumped down from the podium. Bakura helped Anya up to her feet before he replied,

"Hi, Yugi. Tea told me what happened."

Anya smiled, but then gave a disheartened glance at the scattered pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. She bent down and picked one up, Bakura doing the same thing as he commented, "Oh, my. Keith certainly did a number on your Millennium Puzzle, didn't he? Well, better shattered than stolen, I suppose."

Yugi accepted pieces from both of his friends with a solemn nod, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It took me forever to put it together the first time, but at least I have a chance to try. Who knows, since I did it once already, maybe this time it'll be easier."

"I'll be happy to stick around and help out, Yugi," Anya said with a smile, holding out the pieces in her hands. He nodded with a grateful smile and started looking over the Millennium Puzzle, figuring out how to get it back together.

Meanwhile, Bakura was watching them both innocently. However, he didn't stick around long as Yami Bakura took over, his hand behind his back while holding onto a single piece of the Millennium Puzzle.

_Hmph, and once you've completed it, I'll be there to take it away! But in order to make sure that no one stands in my way again, I'll need to…_manipulate_ a piece of the Puzzle, _he thought to himself.

Giving the two children a single glance, his thoughts continued,_ Yugi and Anya, such naive fools. They have no idea of the ancient powers the Puzzle contains within! Magical powers that, when combined with the other eight Millennium Items, are so incredible, whoever possesses them shall rule the world! Powers that will soon belong to me, once I collect all of the Items, one by one! My Millennium Ring will track them down so I can unlock the mystical energies that were imprisoned in these objects, long ago in the age of the shadow games!_

_The Pharaoh and his loyal minions thought they could banish the power forever by dividing it up among the Millennium Items, and hiding them away. But the time has come for me to claim them all for myself! And the Millennium Puzzle is no exception. Ring, transfer a portion of my spirit into this piece of the Puzzle so that I may be forever near its ultimate power!_

The Millennium Ring began to take on an eerie glow before the light shot into the Puzzle piece. With a cruel, inwardly chuckle, Bakura smirked, _Unbeknownst to Yugi, a part of me will be infused within the Puzzle. From this one piece, I'll be able to explore the inner chambers of its mystic Millennium components. And one day soon, claim them for myself!_

"Yugi, you missed this one piece," Bakura said, holding out a single Puzzle piece to Yugi.

He and Anya both smiled as he was handed the piece, "Ohh! Thanks a lot, Bakura! The last thing I need is to lose a piece of the Millennium Puzzle."

"Heh, yes, I know! You can't complete it without them all," Bakura laughed lightly before beginning to climb down the arena.

"Thanks again. You totally saved the day!" Yugi commented.

"Sure," the white-haired boy replied…right before losing his grip and falling down on the ground.

"Oh!" Anya and Yugi gasped. "Are you okay, Bakura?"

Bakura rubbed his backside with a grimace before getting up and turning away to leave, "Yes, fine. I've got to get back to school."

"We'll be right behind you, Bakura, as soon as I unhook my chain!"

Bakura's face took on a dark yet amused look, an obvious sign that Yami Bakura was more than pleased with his work. Of course, with his back turned to them, it wasn't like they could tell the difference.

"Anya, you really don't have to stick around," Yugi commented. "You can go ahead and join Bakura if you want."

She shook her head, "No way. We're sticking through this to the end. I've already come this far with you so we might as well finish it together."

Yugi smiled and nodded, "Right."

"Uh! Ah, stop! Stop talking to me!"

"Huh?" Anya and Yugi gasped, turning and seeing Bandit Keith back up on his feet. He grabbed onto a metal pipe, swinging it wildly, "Where are ya?! Show yourself!"

Anya blinked her eyes and shook her head, "Keith's either completely lost it, or that puppeteer guy isn't done with him yet. Either way, I think we should speed things up and get going."

Before Yugi could respond, Bandit Keith struck at some crates, followed by a control panel that shocks him and throws him back. An electrical cable then suddenly snapped and fell onto two gasoline containers, making them burst into a deadly flame.

"Okay…now we _really_ need to get going."

* * *

"Yugi! Anya!"

"Yugi!"

"Where are ya, guys?!"

"This is ridiculous already!"

"Yeah, someone's playin' us for suckers!"

Tea suddenly dropped to her knees, panting heavily in exhaustion. Joey and Tristan, barely standing a few feet away, hand their hands on their knees as they panted as well. The entire time they had followed the arrows which seemed to only lead into a multitude of twists and turns

"These arrows," Tea panted, "are like a giant maze…!...Whoa!"

"Check it out!" Joey exclaimed, noticing what Tea was talking about. A huge column of black smoke was rising up high not too far from their location.

"There's smoke! Fire!"

So, of course, the group of three charged towards the source of the smoke. Finally, they came upon the warehouse that was burning away with the smoke flowing from the corner of the roof.

"Someone may need our help!" Tristan said.

* * *

"Oh no! I've gotta get my Puzzle down and get outta here!" Yugi cried out, tugging insistently at the chain, then at the spike. Finally, he had to stop to catch his breath, "It's no use, the chain's just too strong! And this fire is spreading really fast! Anya, maybe you could look for a way out while I put the Puzzle back together."

Anya gasped, "But Yugi-!"

"Anya, if you don't go now then we might not get out at all! Then it's over for all of us! Please, just go!" Yugi then removed the pieces that Anya held from

With a great deal of hesitance, Any kept glancing at the possible exits, and then at Yugi. As much as she didn't want to possibly leave him behind, she knew that he was too much of a good person to allow her to stay. So, with a large gulp, she backed away and turned to look for an exit.

She stopped and gasped as the Millennium Charm began to glow and she felt a strange penetration in her mind. Her eyes shut and she grasped her head from the sudden and unfamiliar force. Not once had the Millennium Charm ever done something like _this _before!

Yugi gasped as Anya's hands slammed on the side of the podium, on both sides of the Millennium Puzzle. Her body was also slightly pressed against his back, almost as if she were shielding both he and the Puzzle from the fire.

"Anya! What are you doing?! Get yourself to safety!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you or the spirit! And don't you try to tell me otherwise!" Anya said, though the strange thing was that she felt like it wasn't even her that was talking even if it was her voice. Something made her say those words and something was forcing her to stay.

Yugi grunted, yet he continued to put the Millennium Puzzle back together as fast as he possible could. If she was really going to be this stubborn, then he had no choice but to solve the Puzzle again and get them out of there.

* * *

"Help me!"

The voice was muffled, but they could clearly hear the muffled cries for help from inside the warehouse.

"Someone's in there!" Tristan shouted.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you!" Tea called out. "We've gotta get them out of danger!"

We'll try to get in," Tristan said. "You call 911!"

"I'm on it!" Tea nodded before taking off down the street.

Joey and Tristan charged the door. First, Tristan grasped the door knob to get in, but then jumped back as he held his burnt hand. Then Joey tried to kick the door down, but that did no good either.

"No good. We gotta break the door down!" Tristan said.

"Okay! On three!" Joey braced himself as did Tristan.

"Three!"

The two rushed at the door, aiming their shoulders to tackle the door down. They collided with the door and bounced back, but they weren't anywhere close to being done.

"Three!"

They tried again, but to no avail. They did it again and again, but still the door didn't budge.

"Tristan, you were knockin' that door like a girl scout!" Joey growled out as they tried once again. "This time hard!"

Finally, the two crashed through door, though it may have been because it was already on fire. The two looked around, but it was already very damaged and hard to see through.

"Anyone here?!" Tristan called out into the smoke and fire.

They heard screaming before Bandit Keith, still in his robes, runs towards them.

"Heads up!" Joey exclaimed before the two dodged to the side.

Bandit Keith pushed past them and ran right out the door, "This place is haunted!"

"Tristan, did we just rescue Bandit Keith?"

"Huh, no way!"

Joey shook his head, "Forget 'im! Let's make sure no one else is in trouble!"

So, the two carefully made their way through the burning building. They were sure to keep their arms over their faces to keep the smoke out while looking for any trapped people.

"Anyone in there?!"

_Joey?_ Anya managed to squeeze her eyes open, though the same force from before was trying to make her do otherwise. She raised her head and looked around desperately before spotting a familiar mop of blonde hair, accompanied by brown hair.

"Joey! Tristan!"

The two looked over and gaped, "Yugi! Anya!"

It seemed that Yugi was too preoccupied to take notice of their presence. That was until Tristan yelled, "Yugi, what're you doin'?!"

"Let's go!"

"I can't leave yet, guys! I've got to finish putting together the Millennium Puzzle!" Yugi replied.

"And I'm not leaving without Yugi!"

"The smoke's gone to their brains!" Tristan grumbled as he and Joey rushed to the arena.

Yugi finally inserted the bottom piece of the Millennium Puzzle, "This should do it!"

As if to show the success, the Millennium Puzzle glimmered brightly, the life of the Spirit within returning, "Yes! Finished!"

Anya grinned triumphantly, but then frowned deeply with worry when Yugi began to sway dangerously. The smoke and the heat must've made him grow even weaker!

"Yugi, ya okay?!" Joey asked as he and Tristan surrounded them both.

"Come on, you two! We gotta get outta here fast!" Tristan said as he grabbed onto Yugi's shoulders while Joey grabbed onto Anya's arms. However, Yugi refused to let go of the Millennium Puzzle.

"My…Puzzle! Can't leave without…my Puzzle!"

"All right!" Tristan grunted as he pulled on the bolt that held onto the Puzzle, however, it was not willing to budge. Joey tried to pull onto the chain, but it was far too thick to break through.

"Ugh, it's no use, bud!"

"We gotta go!"

"We…can't leave yet…!"

Tristan insisted, "Yugi, it's time to take off!"

"He won't budge, not without the Puzzle. We're just gonna have to find a way to break this chain, but how?"

Looking around, Anya spotted a few metal poles, "Guys, those poles!"

"Right!" They nodded, obviously getting what she was implying. The two grabbed onto the poles and relentlessly whacked at the spike to either break it or weaken it. However, it was proving to be very difficult.

After many attempts, the two stopped with Tristan hopelessly stating, "That thing's not comin' out!"

"There's gotta be a-huh! Tristan," the said brunette turned to Joey. "I got it! Put the rod in the hole and we'll both pull!"

"Yeah!"

The pole was threaded through the eye of the spike and then the two gripped on one end before bracing themselves, "Okay, on three!"

"Three!"

With all of their might, they pulled onto the pipe. The spike loosened, then gave away and allowed the Millennium Puzzle to be freed.

_Yes…now we can…we can…_ Anya blinked, her vision growing blurry. Finally, she was unable to keep on her feet. She fell down to her knees and would have fallen completely, but before her face could so much as kiss the floor, an arm wrapped around her. Another went under her knees and hoisted her up.

"Got'cha, Anya! Let's blow this taco stand!"

* * *

Yugi sighed heavily in relief, leaning back on the hospital bed comfortably. The doctor had completed his checkup on he and Anya and the two were going to make a swift and complete recovery.

"That was some adventure, wasn't it Anya?"

He frowned and turned to the bed next to his when he got no response. Anya was sitting up in her bed, looking down at her hands in almost a sad manner. Something was definitely bothering her.

"Anya? You okay?"

With a shake of her head, Anya began, "I'm sorry, Yugi. To you and the Spirit of the Puzzle. I was right there and I couldn't stop Bandit Keith from destroying the Puzzle. Maybe if I had, then we wouldn't have been in so much danger…"

"Don't say that, Anya. I don't blame you at all and I know that the Spirit doesn't either, right?" Yugi looked down at the Millennium Puzzle in his hands. The item gave off a soft glow, making him smile even wider, "See? I don't think there was anything any of us could've done to prevent all of this."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Anya's lips, "Still. I feel just plain awful about all of this."

"Awful about what?"

The two turned to the door as Joey, Tristan, and Tea entered. The boys were covered in bandages from the small burns they had received from the fire.

Yugi replied to Tea, who asked the question in the first place, "Anya feels bad that she couldn't help me more in that fire."

"Aw, c'mon Anya," Joey said. "Don't worry about it. Don' forget that you were the one shieldin' Yugi from all of that smoke and fire. What could be more helpful than that?"

"You're already beat up bad enough," Tristan added, "so do us all a favor and stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Finally, Anya couldn't help smiling and laughing lightly, allowing herself to fall back on her bed, "Deal, but only if you two don't fight for the rest of the day."

"I think it's just good that the Millennium Puzzle is safe and sound."

"And so are you two. Don't forget about you two," Joey commented.

"Yeah. How can I ever thank you guys for saving my life back there? You put yourselves in danger to make sure I would be okay. You're the greatest friends a guy ever had."

Joey merely shrugged, "That's what buds're for. Right, pal?"

"Yeah, it's a good thing I spotted 'im," Tristan commented.

Anya blinked, _I thought I called for them and that's why they found us._

The blonde boy looked off in solemn thought, "And what about me? Thanks to my brilliant idea we were able to pry your Puzzle off the wall."

Tristan merely said with his voice completely sarcastic, "Yeah, brilliant! Let's stick the pole into the hole and then we'll pull on it really hard!"

Joey growled, grabbing Tristan by the collar, "Say what?!"

"Say nothin'!" Tristan retorted back.

A loud clearing of the throat made the two stop in their tracks. Anya had her eyes narrowed at them dangerously, a deep frown forming on her face.

"You guys better knock it off. I think Anya's getting mad."

In an instant, the two had backed off and were rubbing the backs of their necks sheepishly, Joey saying, "We'll be good! See? We stopped fighting!"

Letting a smirk cross her face, Anya turned away, "That's what I thought."

There was a click and the group of friends turned to the door. It opened up and revealed a young man in a student uniform. He had dark red hair that went to about his shoulders, his bangs just barely covering his powder blue eyes. His face reminded the group much of Seto Kaiba. It was mostly scornful, his eyes cold, and his mouth often set in a straight thin line. Very rarely did the sides of his mouth ever twitch to form an expression, often the corners turning downwards.

"Dimitri," Anya spoke, clear surprise in her voice. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes went to her hospital bed, his expression remaining the way it was. He merely closed his eyes and said, "I'm here and you're in a hospital bed. I got off of the phone ten minutes ago about how you were in a burning building. Why do you _think_ I'm here?"

Yugi, Tea, and Tristan shot him a glare, but Joey was the only one peeved off enough to let his mouth get the better of him,

"Hey, lay off, pal! Your little sister was just caught in a fire and _that's _all ya have ta say ta her!?"

"Joey!" Anya pleaded. "Please don't!"

Joey grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, "Fine, but I'm only holdin' back 'cause I want ya ta recover."

Ignoring the comment, Dimitri continued, "The nurse said you were all good to go anytime. I'll let you say your goodbyes and then we need to get going. Uncle Nikolai is expecting you home soon."

He turned around, his hand on the handle as he pulled the door closed, but then paused. Without giving her a glance, Dimitri asked,

"You're not hurt, are you?"

This greatly took everyone in the room aback. They've known Anya's brother about as long as they knew her, and that was a _long_ time, and this was perhaps the first time that they'd seen him show any sort of concern for Anya's well-being.

"Uh-no. I'm okay," Anya replied quietly.

"...Good. I'll be waiting out front."

With that, Dimitri left and shut the door behind him. It was, for the most part, an awkward silence throughout the room. Anya sighed and stepped out of her bed, beginning to gather her things.

"I don' know why ya keep defendin' 'im, Anya. He keeps treatin' ya like dirt and I don' like that one bit!" Joey ground his teeth.

"I know..." Anya sighed, excusing herself to the bathroom, "but he's family, guys. You just...never turn your back on them."

Once the door was shut, the conversation took an interesting turn.

Tristan shoved his fists into his pocket, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're right Joey. Dimitri's almost as bad as Kaiba to us and Anya, but if she's not going to do anything about it, then what are _we_ supposed to do?"

"I hear you guys, but don't forget that Dimitri has his good points as well as his bad," Yugi interjected. "He's just not too keen on showing his nice side."

Joey growled loudly, "That still doesn' excuse 'im, Yug! That's not how a brother's supposed to treat his sister!"

Tea shushed him harshly as Anya came out, fully dressed and ready to leave. She gave a small smile, "Thanks again for all the help today, guys. Yugi, I hope you and the Spirit are feeling better, too. I'll see you guys tomorrow at school."

"Okay, Anya. If you're sure," Tea said carefully.

"M'kay, babe. You take it easy and I'll come by and visit later," Joey said, giving her a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

Anya smiled and kissed his cheek, "_You _better take it easy too, tough guy. And I'm serious. No fighting for the rest of the day and if you do, I'll find out about it."


	4. The Past is Present

**Yeah! Update number three! I am getting pumped for this story, though I have to say that this chapter is more about info than it is about action. I know it's a bit dull compared to other chapters but it will pick up after the next update when Battle City starts. Anyway, unlike the past few times, I won't be reading the reviews and replying to them. Not that I don't appreciate them, but I'm a bit worn out right now. So, I won't keep you guys waiting anymore. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or it's characters. I only own my own. Goodbye and good reading!**

_Ding-ding!_

Solomon looked up from the cards sealed in small cases and arched an eyebrow. Joey was making his way to the front counter, but he looked completely distracted as he looked around the store…well, at least more than usual.

"Good afternoon, Joey," he greeted. "I'm sorry, but Yugi isn't here right now."

"Uh, no problem, Gramps," he said, not once giving the elder man a glance. "I'm not here ta see Yugi."

"Hmm? And just what brings you by here, then?"

"I'ma…I'm in the market fer a new Duel Monsters card…"

Solomon blinked, "Well…do you happen to have any card in particular that you have in mind?"

"Not yet, but I'll know it when I see it," Joey said, finally stopping at the counter and was looking around the display case.

Now Solomon knew that something was eating away at Joey. He looked as if he knew what kind of card he was looking for, but wouldn't know what it was until he laid his eyes on it.

"Well, if you need any assistance, then feel free to ask," he said, setting down a few of the cards to show in the display case.

Joey's eyes suddenly widened at a particular card that Solomon just put in the case, _Hey! Now _that _looks like a worthwhile card!_

"Hey, that looks like a good card," he said, pointing down through the glass. The shop owner looked down to where he was pointing and picked it up.

"You mean this one? I'm not sure if it's entirely fit for a deck like yours, Joey."

Ignoring the comment, Joey picked the card up and looked it over eagerly.

The picture was of a woman with long golden hair and skin that was snow white. She was dressed in white and red armor trimmed with gold. She also held a sword that had its handle with the design of a rose. Finally, she had large wings made entirely out of rose petals.

_The Queen Angel of Roses_ _**(2400/1300)**__! This card is perfect! _Joey thought, just about ready to burst with excitement.

"Say, this card wouldn't happen to be a gift for a certain _someone_, would it, Joey?"

"Huh? Eh…" he gulped a bit. Solomon had a knowing smile on his face, figuring out not more than a moment ago why Joey was there in the first place. "Well…ya see, Gramps…"

"You don't need to say another word, Joey. I understand. Tell me, what's the occasion for all of this?" the elderly man asked.

"No occasion, really. I just wanted ta…ya know, get 'er somethin' special…just because."

Solomon chuckled, "Joey. I know you better than that and I know that's not the reason you're here. Now, why do you really want this card?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Joey explained, "Okay, ya got me, Gramps…Anya's been feelin' a bit down lately. I think that whole thing with the fire really has'er all shook up. I can't think of anything else that could lift her spirits up more than her Duel Monsters' cards, but I couldn't just get her any card. I wanted it ta be special."

"Well then I'll tell you what. Since this _is _such a special occasion, this one's on the house."

Joey's eyes widened, though anyone could see all of the excitement sparking within them, "Whoa! No foolin'?"

"Just as long as this card is used with good intentions and a strong belief in the heart of the cards."

"Thanks! I gotta get goin'! This little numbah needs ta be wrapped up nice if I'm gonna be givin' it ta Anya!"

Before Solomon could give out so much as a 'you're welcome,' Joey was out the door in a flash. The shop owner shook his head, "Ah, to be young and in love…"

* * *

Kicking a small stone across the sidewalk, Anya had her fists shoved into the pockets of her dark blue jeans as she continued her walk. The breeze blew slightly on her yellow scarf and thin violet vest, though she didn't seem to mind it.

A few days had past since the incident with Bandit Keith and the mysterious being that had controlled his mind stole the Millennium Puzzle. For some reason, however, things didn't feel the same since then. Not for Tea, not for Yugi, and definitely not for Anya.

_"__The bearer of the Millennium Charm. I should've known only _you _would be desperately loyal enough to the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle to stand by the side of this little runt."_

Those words really got Anya to thinking about a lot of things, mainly the Millennium Items and how they are all connected to each other. What did that man mean by them? If his words were true, then how are the Puzzle and the Charm linked together? Or better yet, how were the Charm and the spirit within the Puzzle linked? So many questions and so little resources to find the answers.

**This is all too confusing. I just wish there was a place where at least a few of my questions would be answered. I don't suppose you have any suggestions, do you?** Anya asked, giving a sideways glance.

As if he were real himself, Silent Magician glided by Anya's side at only a foot away in his spiritual form. Of course, being at his lower level and only reaching about Anya's shoulders, he wasn't as impressive to look at, but he did have a protective look in both his eyes and his stature.

All he did was merely shake his head. Anya sighed inwardly, knowing that even though Silent Magician was her closest friend and most trusted partner, it still would be nice if he weren't a magician of few words. _Very _few words.

"There has to be _something_ that can give me a clue!" Anya said as she and her companion turned a corner. She stopped and cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Huh? What's all the hubbub?"

All around the Domino Museum, people were gathered. Reporters and news trucks were at the very edge and many more people were at the front of the steps.

_Grand Opening of Newest Egyptian Exhibit. All are welcome to attend._

"Egypt, huh? Well, the Millennium Items _are _from Egypt. I guess it's at least worth checking out."

**Come on! Let's go!** Anya spoke to her monster before taking off. His visible blue eye watched her for only a moment before calmly following her at his own pace.

"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!" Anya politely pushed through the crowd all the way to the front. When she did get there, there were only cameramen at the foot of the stairs. A few steps up, there were a few officials (at least that's what she believed) and a table where a woman was sitting and speaking.

"Game fans are especially invited. This world premiere showcases newly-discovered and never-before-seen artifacts, chronicling the history of Egyptian games. In ancient times, games were not played just for fun as they are today. Everyone from princes to peasants waged dueling games against each other for land, wealth, but especially for power. This games were epic battles."

**Well, even if we don't find anything about the Millennium Items, at least this trip won't be a **_**total**_** bust,** Anya said as the Silent Magician finally joined her at her side.

"I've unearthed relics that suggest the great Pharaoh himself may have competed in a game against a force that threatened to destroy the entire world!" The woman continued. "Of course, this is still speculation and further studying needs to be done."

_Great Pharaoh? Like an Egyptian king?_

"I'm personally inviting Seto Kaiba to this evening's private exhibition. I promise what he will witness will change his life forever."

_Kaiba?_ _What interest would _Kaiba_ have in an Egyptian exhibit? _

"And thank you all for coming today and feel free to come by tomorrow to see all there is to our newest Egyptian exhibit," announced the curator of the museum and Anya felt her heart sink.

_Tomorrow!?_

**Well, that figures, huh?** Anya turned to her monster with a humorless grin. Silent Magician merely blinked at her, tilting his head a bit. **Guess we'll just have to come back tomorrow. **

Sighing heavily, Anya watched as people quickly began to disappear from the front of the museum. She turned on her heel, ready to do the same until she felt a firm grip come down on her shoulder.

Her eyes widened a bit, glancing over her shoulder. Sensing his duel master's fear, Silent Magician had his staff drawn, glowing with strange power that he would use to defend his duel master.

"Excuse me, miss, but you'll need to come with me," said the tall man in a suit.

"Uh…is there a problem?"

"…Just please come with me, miss. Our employer would like to meet you."

* * *

"Are you sure I'm supposed to be here? This place looks pretty off-limits to me," Anya said as she was led down a flight of stairs within the museum by two men in suits. Silent Magician hovered loyally by her side as he did with most of his time outside of the deck.

One of them merely replied, "Under normal circumstances you would be right, but our employer, Miss Ishtar, seems to have taken an interest in you."

The black-haired girl stopped for a moment on the steps and then followed once again, "You mean the lady that's putting on this whole Egyptian exhibit in the first place? Why me?"

"Good question, kid," the other man said as they reached the bottom. They opened the doors and ushered her inside, "This room has the most valuable of Miss Ishtar's artifacts. She'll be down here to meet with you momentarily."

With that, Anya was left alone in the room. She shoved her hands into her jeans and decided to look around at the artifacts until the arrival of Miss Ishtar. Nothing too extravagant to look at, at least nothing that could be displayed in public. Some jewelry, pottery, ancient tablets…

Anya tensed dramatically, her heart racing and yet all of the blood managed to drain from her face. Once again, Silent Magician sensed her distress and had his staff ready to strike. He watched in slight bemusement as his duel master walked forward, her eyes completely glued onto the stone table that seemed to be isolated from the rest of them.

Stopping at only a foot away from the tablet, she couldn't find one possible reason to not have a breakdown. It actually astounded her that she managed to stand.

The tablet, of course being ancient, was worn out in some places, but depicted a rousing scene nonetheless. On the left side of the tablet, something that looked like a swarm of evil monsters and demons looked ready to pounce. On the right…well, that's where the surprises started showing up.

Four figures were depicted on the right side; one man, two women, and what looked like a large, powerful serpent. All three humans had their hands out, as if ready to counter the demons and were dressed in Egyptian clothing. The first woman that Anya took notice of didn't look much different from the other, only this one had much longer hair and around her neck was a circular object with the Eye of Horus imprinted on it. The second girl had shorter hair and around her wrist was what looked awfully a lot like…

_My Millennium Charm! _Anya brought up her wrist up to her chest, glancing down at it in thought. The Eye of Horus gleamed dimly upon the heart of the Millennium Charm. Casting the thought aside only for now, Anya continued on.

The man…the man actually looked incredibly familiar to her. He was at the main front before the serpent, and then the two girls following. He had spiky hair and around his neck was…the Millennium Puzzle!

"Yugi…"

No, she thought. It couldn't be Yugi. Not in a time that was over five thousand years ago. However, there was still the Spirit within the Millennium Puzzle. For him to be a spirit meant that he was older than them at least. Perhaps the man on the tablet was who the Spirit once was. If so, then was it really that much of a coincidence that someone who just so happened to look a lot like him to receive and complete the Puzzle?

Again, another thought to cast to the side for right now, but definitely something worth looking into. Finally, Anya's eyes rested upon the giant serpent that would appear to be attacking the demons. She had a strong feeling in her heart that the Millennium Charm and the Millennium Puzzle really _were _and still are connected and that this monster was the key.

"Quite an interesting tale on this stone tablet, isn't it?"

Anya cringed dramatically, forcing herself to not jump nearly five feet in the air. She looked to her right and saw the woman, Miss Ishtar, standing right next to her.

"I apologize for startling you, Anya. If you have not already guessed, I am Ishizu. Ishizu Ishtar."

The younger girl let out a sigh of relief, smiling a bit as she said, "No problem. It was actually quite a surprise that you wanted to see-"

She froze, ever so slowly turning towards the mysterious woman, "You just called me Anya."

"Indeed, I did."

"But…I never told you my name, did I?"

"I do not believe you ever did such a thing."

…

Anya shuffled to the side a bit, feeling a bit disarmed in the current situation. She blew out a breath of air nervously as she said, "And…you're strangely being calm about this. Why?"

Ishizu closed her eyes and spoke once again, "It's because I've been expecting you for some time now. In fact, I knew you would be in the very crowd that was outside only moments ago."

Anya opened her mouth, about to retort that it explained why the guys in suits brought her here in the first place, but decided against it. Instead, she turned back to the tablet, "So…this tablet tells a story? What's it about?"

"That is something that cannot be told, but I can show you."

Anya furrowed her eyebrows, but she didn't have time to question her words before her vision went completely black.

* * *

_"__Huh?! What?! Where am I?" Anya frantically looked around when she finally found some light to see. From what she could see, all there was were large stone columns, stone doors, and torches lighting up the area. It was definitely nothing like she would see in the museum. _

_"__Our numbers are dwindling faster than ever, my Pharaoh. If nothing is done soon, then the Dark One will consume the rest of our land…and I'm afraid the world shall follow."_

_"__Huh?" Anya turned around, not even seeing the most interesting part of her vision. _

_All along the walls were what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphics painted in all sorts of colors. There was also a large seat up a small flight of stairs, which was occupied by-_

_"__Is that…the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle?"_

_He indeed had the spiky hair and clothing depicted in the stone of the museum. Even down to the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck. _

_"__I see. Is there nothing else that can be done, Amunet?"_

_Amunet. Anya brought up her wrist and looked upon the Millennium Charm. That was one of the spirits that resided within the Millennium Charm. This spirit also claimed that she was an ancient ancestor of hers. Perhaps this Amunet in her vision and herself were related by blood after all. _

_"__There is one thing that we have not tried, sire." _

_She didn't notice it at the time, but along with Amunet, there was another young woman kneeling in front of the throne. She was also dressed much like the other woman depicted on the stone tablet in the museum. _

_The woman was dressed identically to Amunet, but since both of them had their backs to Anya, the only way to tell the two apart was the waist-length light brown hair cascading down the one that had just spoken. _

_"__There is always the option of calling upon the sacred spirit of the Nile River, Chione."_

Chione?_ Anya thought to herself. Amunet gasped and the Spirit of the puzzle sat up straighter. Whoever Chione was, he or she must've been someone very important, apparently._

_"__Is that really wise, Subira?" Amunet asked. "The sacred serpent's power is nothing to take lightly. Her power must not be invoked unless we are in desperate aid of it."_

_"__I agree that it is indeed dangerous to call upon the Goddess of the Nile, Amunet," the Pharaoh spoke, ending the possible argument before it even began. "But we may not have much more of a choice. If we do not try now, we may not get this chance again."_

_He stood up as he continued, "I know you're connection to Chione makes this hard for you, Amunet, but it must be done."_

_Amunet bowed her head, "I understand, my king."_

* * *

"Hah!" Anya gasped, making sure to regain her footing before she could fall. Looking around, the familiar surroundings of the Domino Museum. "What was that?"

"A mere glimpse of destructive events occurring five thousand years ago that I am sure answered some of your questions."

Anya turned back to Ishizu, who didn't even turn to look at her. Shoving her fists into her pockets, she then asked, "A lot of them except for one. How did you do that?!"

Ishizu merely laughed lightly, turning slightly to her, "What you saw was done with the power of my Millennium Necklace."

Tensing dramatically, Anya gulped, "_M-M-Millennium_ Necklace?"

Honestly, Anya didn't feel anything evil coming from Ishizu's aura, but she couldn't help but feel skittish. What with her past encounters with Bakura with the Millennium Ring and Pegasus with the Millennium Eye, she knew she had to be cautious with anyone who had possession with a Millennium item.

"I can sense your unease, but let me assure you that I am anything but a threat to you, Anya."

**Hold on, **Anya commanded as Silent Magician brought his scepter up once again. Upon feeling a mental jolt, she countered, **I don't care if she **_**is **_**being ambiguous. Let's see what else she has to say first.**

Rolling his eyes but complying with her commands, Silent Magician lowered his weapon and faded away. She figured he had disappeared into the deck, but was still close enough to watch her.

"Um…so some Egyptian king and two girls wanted to conjure up a giant serpent to battle some evil force? How did it all end?"

Ishizu turned back to the tablet, "In order for that to be told, you must allow me to show you one last vision of the past."

The Millennium Necklace began to glow once again and before Anya could give an answer. Darkness surrounded her briefly before a bright light blinded her.

* * *

_"__Great. Where are we-WHOA!" Anya shrieked as this time, she was not on the ground, but floating several feet in the air. _

_The Egyptian city was in complete ruins and there was nothing but darkness everywhere. It was so dark that not even shadows of buildings did not show themselves. _

_"__Hey, I think that's those three people from before," Anya muttered to herself. Amunet, Subira, and the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle were standing at the foot of what Anya could only assume to be the Nile River. _

_The Spirit stepped into the shallow end of the river before his body took on a bright violet aura. He then spoke, "Great Goddess of the Nile, She Who Brings Life and Beauty to the land of Egypt, I beseech thee. Stand by us in this final battle to banish the darkness from consuming what light there is left!" _

_The waters of the Nile rippled violently as a pair of golden eyes appeared within the depths. The ripples stopped, but then Chione burst through the surface of the water, letting out a booming sound not unlike the call of a whale. _

_Anya's pupils shrank as the great beast flashed out its webbed-wings, which had to reach to at least a fifty-foot wingspan. Her body was long and even well after she breached the surface, her serpentine form still kept coming. The slitted pupils of the beast's golden eyes grew out even further before she lurched back and gave out a fearsome roar. Even for a whale call, it was enough to send shivers down Anya's spine. _

_"__My king! The darkness! It's drawing closer!" _

_"__Huh?"_

_Glancing over her shoulder, Anya's jaw dropped a bit. It only appeared to be a giant black fog. However, _this_ black fog seemed much more malicious with jagged fangs and razor-sharp claws. _

_"__So it is. Amunet! Subira! Call upon your strongest creatures for our final fight!" Anya looked back down at the opposition to this darkness. The pharaoh raised his hand and exclaimed, "I shall call forth my loyal servant, the Dark Magician!"_

_In a burst of energy, the very familiar Dark Magician. All Anya could think was that this was either a huge coincidence, or Ishizu's Millennium item was messing with her head. Quite frankly, she was hoping it was the latter. _

_"__Then I shall summon Horus, the Dragon Guardian of the Pharaoh!" _

_Again, a burst of energy come forth from Subira. A bronze creature that was half-hawk and half-dragon hissed and hovered up high in the air. _

_"__And finally, I shall call upon my guardian, the Silent Sorcerer!"_

_Anya gasped loudly, so loudly that she could've sworn they would hear her, but apparently they didn't. Amunet's body gleamed brightly before her own energy escaped and took on its solid shape. _

_"__That's my Silent Magician!"_

_It was so strange how this wizard resembled her own Silent Magician. Red and black robes, disheveled white hair, blue eyes, and even the same protective glance she would see in her own monster's eyes almost every day. All of those things were what make them so alike, but how? It didn't make any sense!_

_The king straightened his stance, "Let us fight, my friends! And however this battle ends, it ends today!"_

* * *

"NYAH!" Anya yelped as she was yanked back to reality. Her breathing became heavy as she tried to gather herself.

"So you see, the ancient battle between light and darkness was brought to an end that day."

Shaking her head, Anya panted out, "That…makes no sense. I asked how the battle ended, but all I saw was the battle beginning!"

Ishizu merely shut her eyes, "According to this tablet, the battle ended in a stalemate. However, to prevent the evil from escaping, the great Pharaoh had the darkness sealed away. In addition, he sealed his own spirit away with the knowledge that he would be called upon once again to rescue mankind."

After regaining her composure, the black-haired girl asked, "From the darkness?"

The Egyptian woman nodded, "Yes. Now do you see why I called you here, Anya?"

Blinking once. Blinking twice, and blinking one final time, Anya shrugged, "Not really. Did you only call me here to tell me something that happened over five-thousand years ago?"

"But of course not," Ishizu turned and walked in front of another tablet. Curiously, but still cautious, Anya followed. What she saw was almost as big of a surprise as the first tablet. "_This_ is also why I had you summoned here."

Looking at the tablet, Anya gasped softly, "It's that Pharaoh again!"

"Yes," Ishizu replied. The stone tablet depicted also of another man, one that had a dragon by his side. Now that she looked at it, she thought the person looked familiar to her, but she just couldn't place the name.

"I understand your curiosity for the story behind this tablet, but that is not for you to know…yet," the young girl looked to the older woman. "I would actually like for you to direct your attention to the top of the tablet."

Doing as she was told, Anya's aquamarine eyes gazed upward. There she saw something quite familiar; four powerful monsters, one of them being the serpent named Chione.

"Anya, what would you say if I told you that in the game of Duel Monsters, there are creatures that are even stronger than Exodia the Forbidden One?"

"I would say I was doubtful, but if you have any proof, than I would like to see some."

"Think what you like, but there _are_ creatures that can easily overpower him. The Egyptian God Monsters. You've already met one; Chione, Sacred Serpent of the Nile. There is also Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Cool…" she nodded. "Um…sorry, but you're telling me all of this _why_…?"

Ishizu turned back to Anya and replied, "I am telling you this because I have had many visions of the near future. The darkness that once threatened our world will resurface. This darkness can only be stopped by the great Pharaoh himself. Anya, he will need help from others, but my Millennium Necklace has revealed to me that he will especially need help from you."

"So _that's _why you called me here. You wanted to warn me that he'll need my help more than ever."

"Precisely. But there is something that you will need before you can aid him in the battles to come."

The Egyptian woman brought out a small case, handing it over to Anya. She hesitantly reached out for it and held it in her hands. She opened it up and sucked in a large breath of air.

"This is Chione! But…why would you give this to me? Why not just give it to the Spirit of the Puzzle?"

There was a pause before Ishizu replied, "King Yami is not ready to wield the power of Chione. Very few people can control their power and he is not ready for it. Now I'm afraid this is all the time I could spare for you. I must prepare for tonight's exhibition. My employees will see you out."

One of the men from before set a hand on Anya's shoulders. The other turned her around and began to escort her out before she could ask any more questions. However, she would just have to come by at a later date.

Ishizu turned back to the tablet, her eyes resting on Chione's stone carving, "Please take good care of Chione. So much has been sacrificed to retrieve that card."

* * *

**The visions were so amazing! Especially Chione!** Anya said to Silent Magician. He had reappeared not long after leaving the museum and accompanied Anya on her way home. He was quite patient as she explained what she had seen, and he listened quite intently as well. **Even you were in the visions! At least I thought I was you. You were fighting by Amunet as her guardian monster or something.**

He stopped, tensing dramatically but trying to hide it from his Duel Master as he continued to walk by her side. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so in time.

**What's wrong? Was it something I said?** Anya asked as she came to a halt, and he did the same. When he shook his head, it was quite clear that Anya didn't believe him. **Were you really in that fight? Is that why the two of you looked so alike?**

Silent Magician closed his visible eye before his spiritual form faded away.

"That's so strange. Silent Magician's never walked away when I'm talking to him," Anya muttered to herself. She let out a sigh before continuing on home, _Maybe I should leave him alone for a little while. For right now though, all I can do is prepare and wait for this so-called 'darkness' that's supposed to come and help Yami to stop it._

She then turned her attention back to the card in her hand. Chione, Sacred Serpent of the Nile. She could tell just by holding it in her hand that it was a very powerful spirit. And quite possibly very dangerous.

Just like in her vision, Chione looked to be a very powerful creature. On the card, however, she appeared to be coiled up with her wings spread out wide and minuscule teeth in her wide open jaws. In fact, her presence was frightening enough without the 4000 attack and defense points.

Even for a card, Anya knew that using it would be very dangerous. Then again, she didn't need to the Millennium Charm to tell her that the true danger has yet to begin.

* * *

**_Okay, before you guys say anything, I'm very well aware that Kaiba's part is left out, but honestly if you guys are reading this story, then odds are you know what happens and don't need that part put in. If you don't know, than I suggest that you reasearch it. I put up these chapters with the assumption that you know what happens and usually put up scenes that are happening with my OC's at the same time as in the original series. If you don't like it, don't read. Have a good day and I hope to be updating again soon. _**


	5. Chione, Sacred Serpent of the Nile

**Alright, I know that this isn't quite as exciting as the future chapters, I'm glad I got this one out of the way so we can get to the action! Now I know that this is basically skipping over 'Steppin' Out,' but like I said, I'm writing the plot line revolving mainly around the OC's AND with the assumption that you already have viewed the episodes. Also, this is kind of the replacement for 'Obelisk the Tormentor' since it is mainly revolving around my OC Egyptian God monster. Anyway, I don't own Yu-gi-oh! I only own my OCs (human, Millenium item, and Duel Monster alike). Please enjoy!**

"So the operation's on?" Anya asked, tapping her toes against the maroon wall of her room. She was flat on her back on her bed, planning a special Saturday escapade into the depths of her deck until Joey called with some news.

_"__Yup. In just a few days, my baby sis is gonna get'er eyesight back!" _

"I'm so happy for you, babe," she smiled widely. "I hope that everything goes well. And if there's anything I can do to help at all, just let me know."

_"__I will. Man it's good just ta have a friend like ya, but ta have a girlfriend like ya? I didn't think I'd eveh get _that_ lucky."_

"Oh, stop!" Anya blushed a bit. "I gotta go now. I hope the both of you do well with the operation."

_"__Kay. Don'cha ware yourself out in dat garden of yers, babe. Remember what happened last time-"_

"Bye, Joey," Anya interrupted, rolling her eyes as she hung up. After setting the phone down on the receiver, Anya took her dueling deck and the Egyptian God card in her hands.

"Well, it's been a few days and now I think its time to see what this serpent's like. You guys ready?"

"Mrrow."

Anya arched an eyebrow as a cat jumped onto her bed, the feline rubbing up against her side. The Egyptian Mau was silver in color with black spots and bright blue eyes that were closed as she purred loudly.

"Jinxie," Anya cooed, stroking her back. "Wanna keep me company while I talk to Chione?"

Jinx merely curled up closer to her owner, getting comfortable before becoming completely still. Taking in a deep breath, Anya inserted the Egyptian God card into her deck and into its case.

And so, settling into her bed, Anya crossed her arms over her chest and shut her eyes. She didn't know exactly how long it took for her to fall asleep, but she knew she was where she wanted to go the instant that the darkness was dispelled by a bright light.

* * *

_"__NAH!" Anya yelped, her hands flailing out in front of her to push back the head of whatever was licking her face all over. Finally, she found the hard yet smooth head and managed to shove the beast back. _

_"__Stop it! I need to get up!" _

_Blue Rose Dragon grunted, but obeyed his master's command. He cocked his head as she got up and dusted herself off, but quickly nudged his head at her, craving for her attention. _

**Good to see you too, buddy**_, Anya smiled, stroking the beast's head. _**I gotta go now, though. I have to talk to Chione.**

_Blue Rose Dragon let out a shrill caw, _**_Very well, Master. I won't keep you._**

_The plant-like dragon threw itself up and flapped his wings hard, carrying himself away and into the Wilderness. _

_Ah, the Wilderness…at least that's what Anya called it. The entire place was like one gigantic environment where all of the monsters that Anya kept in her deck roamed when they weren't dueling. She had no idea where it came from nor how it came to be, but she decided a long time ago that she didn't care in the least. _

**Now if I were a gigantic river serpent, where would I want to be?** _Anya muttered, though she had already taken off in the direction in which she had a very good idea of where Chione may be. _

_A good while later, Anya came upon the large clearing with the great lake that spread for practically miles. Of course, she almost expected to find Chione in the water, but she didn't expect to spot her most loyal creature standing at its edge. _

**Silent Magician,** _she whispered out loud. The Light sorcerer was hovering as gracefully as ever at the water's edge. If he had sensed his Duel Master's presence, he gave no indication. _

_So, Anya strode to the edge of the water, sitting down and crossing her arms over her knees while giving him a sideways glance. He was in deep thought while gazing at his reflection on the still surface. _

**Silent Magician, I know you know I'm here,** _she informed him. Still, she got no response from him. With a sigh, she continued, _**Please. I don't know what happened all those years ago and if you don't want to talk about it, I won't pressure you. Do whatever you feel you need to do, but please don't ignore me. **

_His blue eye shifted down to her before slowly closing and opening to look back to the water. A thought tugged at her mind though she knew it wasn't her own. She smiled at the feeling of apologetic embarrassment. _

**Aw, I forgive you! **_She exclaimed bringing him down into a hug. His cheeks tinted a light pink as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder. _

_The two looked up in surprise when ripples on the lake began to form, even more so when the ripples started turning into waves. The whale-like shriek boomed through the area, startling a good number of the nearby Duel Monsters that made up Anya's deck. Most of them had scurried, swam, or soared away from the lake, but not Anya and certainly not Silent Magician._

_Chione shot out of the water, splashing the two with water as she stopped, just before her wings could breach the surface of the water. Her pupils were much more dilated this time, so much that it was much easier to see than her golden irises as she leaned down to the duel master and her most trusted partner. _

**Um…hi. I'm Anya, you're duel master, **_Anya awkwardly waved, causing the goddess's frills and fins to perk up. She suddenly felt a sharp tug at her mind, making her look to her magical friend. He was bent over in a deep bow with the arm crossing his chest holding his staff. She then realized the mistake that she made and did quickly to follow her monster's lead, bending over to bow to the Egyptian goddess in respect. At least, that's what she assumed she was doing. _

_**There really is no need for such formalities. The roles have shifted between master and servant once again and now I serve you.**_

**Oh,** _Anya stood up straight again, clearly confused. She thought that an actual god (or in this case goddess) would be more demanding of respect. Instead, talking to Chione was more like talking to a close friend.  
_

**_I understand that it is the time for the darkness that had threatened our world so long ago has returned. Are you certain you are up to the task? _**

_Anya closed her eyes and couldn't help the small smirk on her face,_ **I'm more than certain I'm up to the task. I'm just wondering what kind of force we're dealing with.**

_**You will know when you face it. That much you I can tell you. Just remember that you cannot do this alone. You will need your friends and the pharaoh. **_

**You say that as if the pharaoh wasn't my friend. Tell me again why it is that your card couldn't have just been given to him instead of me.** _Upon seeing the goddess's frills perk up, she felt she needed to add, _**Not that I mind, but if the Egyptian god cards are our best chance of defeating the darkness that's coming, shouldn't he be the one to get any that we can get our hands on?****  
**

_The serpent's chest rumbled a bit before replying, **While your point is valid in many ways, the pharaoh is not ready to hold such strength. Not yet, anyway. Even if he were, no one can take my card from you. The right to my power has to be earned.**  
_

**But...I have your card. Why is it that Ishizu gave me your card and I have access to your power, but now anyone who wants it has to earn it?  
**

_**I never said such a thing. You yourself must prove your worth before you may use my power. After all, I must know that you can handle yourself in a duel without the need of power that one would harness from an Egyptian god. Don't worry. I will let you know when you've proven your strength and your skill.**_

_Anya sweatdropped a little. She knew this was too good to be true: an all-powerful, totally indestructible monster in her deck, easily one of the factors deciding the fate of the world and she can't even use it! _

**Terrific...**_ Anya sighed. However, she managed a small smile and looked back up, _**Well, I better get started, then.**

* * *

"Wake up, dork!"

Anya gasped, bolting up in her bed and startling Jinx out of her bed. Panting lightly, she turned her aquamarine eyes up and glared at her brother, "What's your problem, Dimitri?! You know not to interrupt me-"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't interrupt you when you're 'talking' to your imaginary friends," Dimitri scoffed before tossing an envelope at her. She caught it and looked at it curiously, "It's an invitation or something."

"Jerk..." Anya muttered as he walked out while shutting the door. Jinx crawled out from under the bed and jumped back onto the bed, rubbing against her and laying down next to Anya as he tore open the envelope and read out loud, "_Anya Mirov, Due to your advanced duelist ranking, you have been cordially invited into an exclusive Battle City Duel Monsters Tournament hosted in Domino City. This invitation marks that you have exceptional skill, strategy, and determination that will be pitted against other advanced duelists gathered from all over the globe. For more information, please gather at the Domino City Square tonight at 7 pm. We hope to see you attend and wish you the best of luck._"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Anya turned the letter over, but could find no signature. There was no way to tell who it came from or why. Still, the clock read that it was 6_:30 pm_ and she decided if there was going to be any valuable information given out then, she better get moving.

_Domino City Square, 7 pm..._

"Late...I'm not surprised," Anya groaned a little bit, crossing her arms and leaning up against the wall. She had half-expected the announcements to be done after 7, but she had tried to be positive. Still, it was safe to assume that it was being late for any late arrivals.

Looking around at the various faces, she couldn't help but feel just a bit intimidated. From the sound of the invitation, she had thought that not that many people were that elite, but now...now she felt a bit nervous to see what they all had to bring to the battlefield. Still, she was confident she could do what she needed to in order to help Yami achieve his destiny.

Meanwhile...

"The invitation said the tournament would be announced tonight," Teá said to Yami. He had gotten the same invitation for the Duel Monsters tournament and Teá had decided to tagged along, especially after what they had discovered in the Domino Museum. "Ishizu was right."

Yami stopped, and in turn, so did Teá, "I don't know if everything she said is true, but I do know this: I must enter and win this tournament in order to fulfill my destiny."

She still felt unsure, but merely told him, "Just promise me you'll be careful, Yami, 'cause I'm sure there's still danger ahead."

"Yes," he nodded, removing his deck from its casing. "Whoever is after the Millennium Puzzle is still out there, but you must trust me, Teá. This deck has never let me down before. As long as Yugi and I stay connected to one another, I'm confident we can use this deck to win this tournament, unlock the mysteries of my ancient past, and realize our destiny."

Teá smiled and nodded, "And you can count on my help."

He gave a small smile, but then tensed as he sensed something...something sinister nearby. He looked off into the crowd, seeing if he could spot anything out of the ordinary. However, there was no such thing. Just a crowd of duelists eagerly discussing about the new tournament and all of the rumors they had heard about it.

"Hey, what's the matter? Is everything okay?"

He turned to her, no longer sensing the nearby evil, "Yes, Teá. It was nothing."

She smiled a bit in relief, but then lost it for a moment as she glanced just past Yami, "Check it out. I think that's Anya over there!"

Yami looked in said direction and did see someone that did resemble Anya. Of course, they knew even from afar of their fiery friend, "Yes. I believe that's her."

"Hey, Anya! Over here!"

The raven-haired girl snapped up in attention before looking in the direction of the shout. She smiled and pushed herself off of the wall and made her way over, saying as she got closer, "Finally, some people I actually know."

"Good to see you too, Anya," Teá laughed.

"Yes. I suppose you got an invitation as well," Yami asked.

Anya smirked, crossing her arms, "Well, it called for skillful and elite duelists, so duh! Yeah I got an invitation, which is what I assume is why you're here, too."

"Hey, Yugi! Anya! There you are!"

The three of them turned away at the familiar shout and saw a familiar figure running towards them, "It's Mai Valentine."

Ah, Mai Valentine. A fiery natured gal that dueled as harsh as her insults. And her compliments. Quite frankly, that's why Anya liked her.

"Oh, joy," Teá muttered.

"I _know_ you guys missed me!" She waved as she came to a stop in front of them.

Teá forced a small smile and said, "It's such a shame we don't hang out more often."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Mai startled Teá by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You're looking snazzy, Teá. Is this a date?"

Uncomfortably, the brunette responded, "We're just friends, Mai."

Anya chuckled while Yami looked just plain unamused as he asked, "I assume you've come here for the tournament."

"But of course," Mai replied, letting go of Teá as she continued, "I presume you two got invitations also."

"Yes, we did, but it didn't say who it was from. Do you know who's hosting this tournament?" Yami asked.

Anya shrugged, "There wasn't even an address on the envelope. There was nothing to track it back to."

"I have no idea. It's a mystery. Nobody seems to know. Everyone I spoke to got an anonymous invitation, but there is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. I'd guess Kaiba."

Anya opened her mouth, but then closed it with the thought, "Yeah. That sums it up."

Yami had taken it a completely different way, however, "That must be why Ishizu told me to enter. If the events are to happen again, I must face Kaiba in this tournament."

_Huh. He must've been to the museum, too. I wonder what he knows..._Anya looked to him from the side and almost pondered if she should tell him what she knew. Then again, if he wasn't meant to have the Egyptian God card just yet, maybe he wasn't meant to know what she knew just yet. Either that or there wasn't anything she knew that he already didn't.

"What are you mumbling about?" Mai arched an eyebrow at him, but then shrugged and continued, "Anyway, nobody knows for sure who it is that's throwing this thing."

"I suppose we'll find out soon," Yami commented.

"It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again."

"Speaking of Pegasus, this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again," Yami said as he glanced around.

Anya cringed a bit, crossing her arms as she said, "Ugh, tell me about it. My skin's crawling just seeing some of these duelists."

"You can say that again. There certainly are a lot of familiar faces in this crowd. Most of whom I'm not too happy to see."

At first, Teá was clueless as to what the two duelists were talking about, but then gasped as she saw what they meant, "You're right! That's Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor!"

"And over there's Espa Roba," Mai said, gesturing to the group of green-haired children and matching clothing. It appeared that the oldest was facing them with his arms out in a strange way. "They say he uses psychic powers to duel."

Letting out an inward scoff, Anya rolled her eyes, _If I get to duel him, we'll just see how psychic he is._

"And Mako's here, too!" Teá pointed out.

"If what Mai said earlier is correct, then this tournament is going to have one new wrinkle."

"And there he is now," Teá said, and sure enough, Kaiba's face came up on every screen in the square. It seemed that he bought out time away from every corporation imaginable in order to make this happen.

"Greetings, duelists. Welcome to the town of Domino. But more importantly, welcome to my tournament."

Mai just had to say it, "I don't know which is bigger-his ego or his melon on the big screen."

Anya waved her hand a bit and said, "I'd say it's about equal."

"Let's hear what Kaiba has to say," Yami said.

"I see you each received your private invite to Kaibacorp's very exclusive Duel Monsters tournament, and you had enough brains to show up here tonight."

This brought up a large number of indignant yells among the other duelists, but not Yami, Anya, or Mai. Hey, it was definitely Kaiba's attitude, but it wasn't like him to be polite, so why bother to try to change it if all they're talking to is a series of giant screens?

"Being that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts. For example, you will duel using these new improved duel discs."

This also brought up a strong reaction from the crowd, but more positive this time, "Another new rule that I designed for the tournament is that before each duel, both players must ante up their rarest card, and the loser of the duel forfeits his card to the winner."

"Forfeit my Dark Magician?!" Yami exclaimed.

"That means losing even one duel can ruin my deck!" Mai realized.

"Uh-uh. I'm _so not_ losing any one of my cards, rare or not!" Anya declared. _Besides, that meant if I lose, then I lose Chione! And I need her to help Yami win the tournament and save the world!_

"My competition will make Pegasus and his Duelist Kingdom tournament look like a joke."

The wind suddenly picked up around them, and so all four of them looked up. Of course, to nobody's surprise, Kaiba was on the side of his helicopter above all of them. His cold eyes were sweeping across the crowd and stopped on (to nobody's surprise) Yami. It was as if Kaiba were hoping and expecting him to show up. To Anya, however, this was no coincidence.

"Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disc because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!" Kaiba made that final announcement, and then his helicopter began to ascend.

"You're on, Kaiba," Yami muttered to himself.

"Well, this is bound to be interesting," Anya smirked. "Can't wait to see what this tournament has to throw at us."


	6. Stalked by Rare Hunters

**Wow. I haven't update this fast in a long while. Just goes to show how much free time can be gained when college classes are finished. I'm hoping that this will happen with the rest of the stories I have failed to update recently. **

**AnimeGirl4891- I'll think about it, but I have to say that I'm trying to make this more of friendship/adventure story. There will be some romance, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with applying Yami Yugi into romance, at least into the plot line of the TV show arch. It's not that I am against it, I just don't think I could pull off something like that without damaging what I have planned. **

**Guest- Well, from the looks of this, wish granted. Don't worry. I'm on summer vacation now and have plenty of time to spare. I can't say that this story will have an update every few days since I have other stories will need updated as well. Still though, I hope to keep you guys entertained. Things are about to start heating up starting in the next chapter. **

**I don't own Yu-gi-oh! I only own my OCs (human, animal, spirit, Millenium item, Duel Monster, or otherwise). Hope you enjoy and be sure to fav, follow, and review if you wish.**

"You can't be serious! You mean to tell me dat rich punk Kaiba is throwin' his own exclusive Duel Monsters tournament?" Joey exclaimed incredulously. The five friends were at school in the courtyard and Yugi and Anya had explained their invitations to participate.

"Yup," Yugi nodded.

"Pretty much," Anya shrugged.

"And the whole thing kicks off in less than a week," Teá added.

Clenching his fists tightly, Joey growled out, "Ohhh...I can't believe money bags didn't send an invite to me! I was da runner-up at Duelist Kingdom! Where's da respect?!"

Leaning up against the wire fence, Tristan pointed out, "Here's a news flash for you, Joey-Kaiba doesn't like you."

"I'll give him somethin' not ta like!"

Anya whispered to Yugi, "See? I knew he was going to react this way..."

"You know, this is exactly how he wants you to react," Tristan said.

A look of realization came across Joey's face, "You got a good point there, Tristan. Maybe I don't need to enter Kaiba's snooty competition. What about you, Yuge? Are you and Anya gonna enter the tournament?"

"I have to," Yugi nodded. "I just found out that entering Kaiba's Battle City Tournament is the only way I can achieve my destiny."

"Your destiny? What are ya talkin' about?"

"It's kind of a long story," Yugi said.

"I got nowhere to go," Joey shrugged.

Yugi then turned serious and explained, "All right. Some kind of evil force is coming back from the past, and I'm destined to join this tournament and defeat it."

Anya then interjected, "And it's kind of my destiny to help him, so of course I'm in."

"Then it's my destiny to help, too!" Joey exclaimed reaching into his jacket pocket. "I got just da card! I'm talkin' Red-Eyes Black Dragon, folks!"

However, everyone around him seemed to be uneasy about his enthusiasm. Tristan then asked, "So what you're saying is you've changed your mind again and now you are gonna enter Kaiba's tournament."

Joey let out another growl and answered, "Dat's what I'm sayin', all right. Yugi inspired me, and wit dis baby in my deck, I got it made."

Anya's eyebrows arched as he actually kissed the card and said, "Isn't that right, my little Red Eyes? Who's gonna help me kick some major Kaiba butt?"

_Yeesh. Even _I _don't obsess over my cards like that..._

"What's da matter? Ya never saw a guy kiss a card? With my Red Eyes, I'll put Kaiba ta shame!"

Everyone had faces that just made it obvious that they were speechless. Teá was the first to reply, "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time you dueled Kaiba?"

"Teá's right, Joey," Yugi said. "You're Red Eyes is a powerful card, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll beat Kaiba."

"Yeah. You got a point."

"You'll need to have a little patience. First you should get used to his new, more-advanced version of the duel disc."

Joey replied in slight despair, "The old ones were too advanced for me. They cost me da duel!"

Anya patted his shoulder, "Then you better get practicin', hun."

Anya knew how badly Joey wanted this and just how big of a hit he took when he lost that particular duel. That was one of his all-time lows in his career as a duelist. Of course, she also knew that he was still so rash and thick-skulled. She knew he had it in him to master the new system and make it in the tournament. All he needed was a bit of a push. She would gladly oblige if she needed to, but was also sure he could figure it out for himself. After all, he was stubborn in that way of doing things for himself.

"You're a much better duelist now than you were then, Joey," Yugi commented, "but before you jump right into another duel with Kaiba, you should practice with the new duel disc."

"Then what're we waitin' for? I gotta try and sign up for dis thing!" Joey shouted before taking off. The rest of the group looked off after him before turning to each other. This couldn't end too well.

* * *

In downtown Domino City, it was clear that there were many places in which to register for Battle City and obtain a new duel disc. Of course, word was traveling very fast about how good the tournament was going to be.

"Oh, hey!" Teá pointed. "Looks like the registration office is over there."

"Battle City Tournament, here I come!" Joey bolted off in said direction, Tristan tailing him.

"You think they'll let Joey sign up for the tournament?" Yugi asked Teá and Anya.

Teá merely answered, "I don't know, but I gotta say, that boy sure is determined."

"I'll say," Anya smirked, glancing off after the blonde boy. "I have to admit it, though, it's one of his best qualities."

"If you don't mind my asking, is this coming from the friend aspect or girlfriend aspect?" Yugi asked.

She shrugged as she went off after the boys, "Both."

_And to think it wasn't long ago that Anya couldn't stand being in the same room as those two, _Yugi and Teá laughed and went at their own pace to catch up with them. Yugi then told Teá, "By the way, thanks for taking Yami to the Egyptian exhibit yesterday. I knew spending the day with you would help."

"I still can't believe he was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh."

"Yup, and he saved the entire world, too."

Teá was silent after that, leaving her with her own thoughts, _Yugi doesn't seem worried at all. But if what Ishizu told us about the past is true, there's so much danger ahead._

"Teá?" Yugi asked, grabbing her attention once again. "Ya know Kaiba's new rule that the winner of each duel gets to take the loser's rarest card? On one hand, it's an awesome idea 'cause the winnder of the whole tournament gets the ultimate prize-a super-deck made up of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters, but on the other hand, I put my heart in this deck. I don't want to lose any of my cards to another duelist, especially my Dark Magician, but the fate of the whole world depends on Yami and me, so I'll play by whatever rules I have to."

Teá knew exactly what Yugi was talking about. It kind of reminded her of when he had dueled Weevil in Duelist Kingdom and how he had bet his grandfather's deck with his one star chip. She knew that it wasn't something he was necessarily comfortable with, but the same basic principles applied. He was playing by any rules that he had to in order to do the right thing.

"Hey, I think we sign up here!" Yugi suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm just gonna play dumb," Joey said, peering into the window of the building.

"_Play_ dumb?" Tristan snickered, earning an indignant 'hey' from his buddy.

Anya sighed with a smile as she entered first. It appeared to look like any other electronics store, but it was clear from the duel discs that were stacked behind the counter that this was the right place.

"May I be of some assistance?" the clerk asked as the teens entered the shop.

"Hi," Yugi greeted. "We came to register for the Battle City Tournament and get our duel discs."

"Well, then, my young friends, you've entered into the correct place. You are fortunate since I have three duel discs left on my shelf, but first I have to make sure you're qualified to register."

Joey suddenly tensed up. Qualified? _Qualified?!_ Why didn't anyone tell him that he needed to be qualified to enter?! He took in a deep breath, regaining his cool and reassuring himself that he had more than enough to make him qualified for the tournament.

"Okay, I'm Yugi Muto." The clerk clicked away at his keyboard and brought up his dueling stats up onto the screen, "Not bad. You've got five stars. That's the highest rank."

It was then that Yugi asked the question that puzzled the rest of them, "Where does this information come from?"

"Kaibacorp performed extensive research on duelists around the world and compiled the results into a database. This shows your skill level and the rarest card you've ever played in a duel. To ensure that only the best duelists enter, Mr. Kaiba has gone to great lengths to learn everything about you and your decks," the clerk replied. The computer monitor was turned around to show them. Yugi's picture was posted along with five golden stars and the Dark Magician as his rarest card on display.

There was a collective number of gasps, "Everything? Knowing every card in our decks gives an unfair advantage to Kaiba."

"That's not cool," Teá said.

Anya crossed her arms, "What did you expect? At least we know now so we can readjust our decks."

"Well, as promised, since you qualify to enter, you get this-Kaibacorp's new and improved Duel Disc System," the man said, holding out a large package to Yugi, who took it gratefully.

"Awesome! Thank you."

"My turn!" Anya stepped up to the counter. "I'm Anya Mirov."

Once again, the man had typed the information into the computer and all of Anya's states came up. This included a picture, a ranking of 4.5/5 stars, and her rarest card (so the system says), Saffira, Queen of Dragons, "Four and a half stars. Very impressive. Best of luck to you in the Battle City Tournament."

"Thanks!" Anya smiled as she accepted the duel disk box. She was just a bit startled when Joey pushed his way to the counter. It seemed he was especially eager to get registered if he could since there was only one duel disc left.

"I wanna register, also. Joey Wheeler's da name!"

"Let me see, Joey Wheeler..." he muttered, putting in the name. The good news was that his name was in the database. The bad news...well, he only had one star to his name. "I'm sorry. You've only got one star. Your ranking is much too low to enter."

This caused quite a bit of reactions from the group, but none so more dramatic than Joey's, "That can't be! Kaiba fixed those results! I came in second at Duelist Kingdom!"

Tristan grabbed onto him when his arms began to get frantic, "Just calm down! Quit havin' a cow!"

"It is weird that he doesn't qualify," Teá said out loud, yet Anya replied to that,

"Not really. It's like Tristan said earlier that Kaiba doesn't like him, so why would he let him into the tournament?"

Of course, the clerk was an observer in the spectacle, but there was something that caught his attention about this duelist. Although Joey had only one star, the rarest card he had was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

_He holds the rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon. My master will surely be interested, _he thought to himself. Of course, getting the card wouldn't really be possible unless he was registered for the tournament, so he needed to...make an exception. As discretely as possible, he typed away to override the results, _So, you want to duel, Joey Wheeler? _And so, the amount of stars in Joey's record went up from one to four,

"I'm sorry, Joey. It appears that my hard drive was malfunctioning and you actually have four stars. Congratulations, you qualify."

Everyone turned back shocked, but Joey did not share the same opinion, "Yeah! I knew it! Lemme see those beautiful stars!"

He turned the monitor around for the rest of the teens to see, "Hey, my kisser ain't lookin' too bad, either! I knew the computer was wrong. That's how I was able to stay relaxed and keep my cool while he fixed it."

Anya sweatdropped as she blandly commented, "Yes, because you really _didn't_ look like the guy in front of you got the last free taco. You were _so_ calm and composed."

"Got that right, babe!" Joey grinned, grabbing onto the duel disc box as he did so. She sighed, shaking her head and looking down slightly. "Aw, yeah!"

"Battle City Tournament, here we come!" Yugi said with a smile.

"Whose da man?" Joey cheered.

"Way to keep your cool, Joey," Teá teased.

"We're lucky we got the last three discs," Yugi said.

As the doors slid shut, the clerk smirked and had a phone up to his ear, "Send over the Rare Hunters. The boy with the Red Eyes just left."

* * *

It was close to sundown when the group was about to part ways for the day. While there was a big commotion just a while ago, it seemed that the entire plaza was now barren of life.

"Guys, I've gotta get goin'," Joey said suddenly. "My sister Serenity's operation is tomorrow, and I told her I'd stay at the hospital tonight."

"Okay, wish Serenity luck for me, Joey," Yugi nodded. "I'm sure everything's gonna be fine."

"Same here. I'm only hoping for the best for the both of you," Anya gave a thumb's up.

"Thank's a lot, guys. Later!" He waved before running off.

Teá waved back, "Bye, Joey. Good Luck."

"I hope he's all right. Going to that hospital is not an easy thing for him to do," Tristan spoke up. Yugi, Anya, and Teá turned to him confused, to which he explained, "Joey's mother is gonna be at that hospital too, guys. She was the one who separated Joey and Serenity when they were kids. He hasn't spoken to his mother since."

Teá and Anya gasped as Yugi exclaimed, "No way! But that means that Joey hasn't seen or spoken to his mother in almost seven years!"

Tristan clenched his fists and said with the utmost confidence, "Yes, but I'll make sure that the Wheeler family unites once again!"

"Someone's feeling chivalrous," Anya muttered.

"Aren't you getting just a little carried away there, Tristan?" Teá arched an eyebrow."

"Not if he's trying to be a hero to impress Joey's sister Serenity," Yugi said.

Ah, now the world made sense again. It was the 'hero gets the girl in the end' principle at work here. It was obvious at the nervous look that suddenly came upon Tristan's face as Yugi figured it out for the rest of them.

"Yeah, maybe you should try that out by actually being there at the hospital for extra support. That's what I'm gonna do," Anya said.

This had definitely caught their attention, "Really?"

"Why?" Teá asked.

Anya closed her eyes and said, "If it's really going be that tough for Joey, then I want to be there if he needs me."

"Well I think that's really nice of you, Anya," Yugi nodded. "It amazes me at how far the two of you have come in such a short time. It feels like it was only yesterday that the two of you couldn't stand each other."

"I hope that guy knows how lucky he is to have a girl like you, Anya," Tristan stated. "Even if half the time he doesn't have a clue."

* * *

Joey panted harshly, running with his duel disc package in hand down a dark alley. It probably wasn't the wisest place to be running into at that time of night, but he did make a promise to his little sister he would be there at a certain time and this was the quickest route he could take.

_I'd better hustle. I promised Serenity I'd be at the hospital in a few minutes and I've never let her down!_

He looked up and nearly skidded to a stop at what he saw was ahead, nearly being the appropriate word. A trio of dark-cloaked men that seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. Still he kept running to get to the end.

"Excuse me," he called out, trying to run around them, but was blocked by one man, making him back up and glare hard, "Hey, what's the big idea? Outta my way! I'm in a hurry!"

The center man chuckled in a sinister way, "You won't be going anywhere for a while."

"What do you freaks want with me?"

With another laugh, he said, "You're a feisty little one, aren't you, Joey Wheeler? I see you've never met a Rare Hunter. We stalk our prey and take what we desire-in this case, your Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Now prepare to duel for it!"

_Rare Hunters? Who da heck do these guys think they're scarin'? Bunch of hooded freaks! _Joey thought before barking out, "How'd you know about my Red Eyes? Look, just step aside!"

However, none of the men moved at all. Man, if it were just one of these guys that was in his way, he wouldn't have a problem taking them out with force. Clearly, though, they used numbers to give their "prey" no choice but to fight on their terms.

"If you'd like to leave here in one piece, I'd suggest you do as we say and duel."

However, Joey smirked at this little opportunity, "You're not givin' me a choice, are ya? Den I guess I accept!"

The Rare Hunter brought out his arm, revealing the new duel disc, "Then let the hunt continue! Now, we'll duel by the Battle City rules. That way, when we win, we'll get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon. I'd suggest you prepare yourself for the hunt."

Joey unpacked the duel disc and tossed the box to the side, setting the duel disc on his arm and activating it, "Let's get dis over with. I got somewhere I gotta be!"

"Time to duel!"

**LP: 4000/4000**

* * *

Meanwhile, in the hospital nearby...

Serenity Wheeler groaned and moaned softly as she shifted uncomfortably in bed. It was getting a bit late and her big brother still hadn't shown up. Her mother noticed this and turned to her as she was arranging flowers in the vase.

"Serenity, what's the matter, dear?"

She sat up, sighing a bit as she explained, "Well, I guess I'm just really terrified about getting this eye operation, mom, but I know once Joey gets to the hospital, I'll feel so much better. He should be on his way!"

A glint of pain came into the mother's eyes, "Joseph's coming?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, making them both look up. Serenity had a look of pure excitement while her mother appeared to be nearly terrified at whoever was on the other side. The door opened and Anya entered through, looking just a bit nervous herself.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I think you have the wrong room."

Anya shook her head, "I don't think so. I'm looking for Serenity Wheeler. I'm a friend of her brother's."

"Really? You know Joey?" Serenity asked happily. "That's so cool!"

Anya smiled and came up to the bed, "And you must be her. I have to say, you're just like Joey described you. My name is Anya. It's very nice to meet you, Serenity."

* * *

"I'll get dis party started by playing my Panther Warrior (**2000/1600**) in attack mode!" Joey exclaimed, throwing his card down on the duel disc. The violet-furred warrior emerged onto the field via holographic projection that surrounded the dueling field.

"It's the predator's move," the Rare Hunter said as he drew from his deck. "I place one card in defense mode."

The face-down monster appeared on the field, but the strange thing was he made no further move. However, Joey wasn't worried as he made his next move, "Not much of a predator so far. Hmm...these little fur-balls may not look like much, but they're just what I need right now. Scapegoat!"

After placing the magic card face-up on the field, the four little goats came up behind Panther Warrior; blue, yellow, pink, and orange, "Panther Warrior can't attack unless I make a sacrifice first, so b'bye, Scapegoat, hello, Panther Attack!"

Panther Warrior leapt and struck at the face-down monster, Hannibal Necromancer (**1400/1800**). It disappeared in a shower of light.

"Looks like my Panther Warrior's the real hunter in this duel. Now what?" Joey smirked as the Rare Hunter made his next move.

"The Graceful Charity card allows me to draw three new cards," he said as he drew three new cards from his deck and discarded two of them as per the rules of the card. "Just what I needed. My deck is filled with surprises. And soon I'll be adding your Red Eyes to my collection."

* * *

_I'm gonna kill him, _Anya thought to herself. _This time, I don't care what Yugi says. I'm going to kill him._

She was currently sitting on the side of Serenity's bed, an arm over her should as an act of comfort as the time grew later and later. When she arrived, she did find it odd that Joey wasn't there yet, but then again, Joey was the type to get easily distracted. However, per Serenity's request, she decided to stay until her brother arrived. Anya didn't blame her. Surgery was a scary idea, even if she hasn't been through it herself.

"Anya? Do you think Joey could be in trouble?" Serenity asked, her arms hugging her knees close to her chest.

_With the size of his mouth_,_ I can only imagine_, Anya said to herself. Of course, this was her big brother, so that would only make her feel worse, "I couldn't imagine he'd do that on an important night like this. The only way you get into trouble is if you go looking for it, and I don't think he'd be that careless. I'm sure he's fine."

"Could you tell me a story Anya? Just to calm my nerves," Serenity asked.

"Uhh..sure, Serenity. What do you want to hear?"

"Well, how did you and Joey meet?"

Anya tensed at that one. Hey, for the first two years that she knew Joey was filled with shouting, slapping (mostly on her part), fighting, and glaring. She wouldn't want to hear anything about her brother being a bully to Yugi, either.

"Well...it was actually because of this card game called Duel Monsters that we first started to get to know each other better..."

* * *

"There's someone out there who needs my help, so I'm gonna end dis duel once and for all!" Joey growled making his next move, which was setting down another monster, "I play Alligator's Sword (**1500/1200**) in attack mode and I'm ganna sacrifice another Scapegoat so Panther Warrior can attack again!"

And so, another Scapegoat was absorbed into Panther Warrior, which went on the attack at the Rare Hunter's face-down monster. The monster rose while still in defense mode to reveal that it was Three-Headed Geedo (**1200/1400**). It didn't stand a chance against the blade of the cat-like warrior.

"So, you guys wanna play by Battle City rules, huh? Well I just heard that when you have no monsters on the field you can attack your opponent's life points directly," Joey explained. "Alligator's Sword, attack now! Direct attack on da hooded freak!"

The reptilian warrior lunged forward, swinging his sword right at the Rare Hunter as if he were attacking a monster, "Give up yet?"

**LP:**** 4000/2500**

"No, not quite," the Rare Hunter calmly took his turn. "I play Graceful Charity again."

"Again?"

"Yes, a good hunter must acquire strong hounds to replace the weak ones," he said as he drew three more cards and discarded two from his hand. "So I discard two old cards and place this one in defense mode."

As the face-down monster came up onto the field, Joey groaned, "Booooooorrrriiing! Gimme a break! I'm fallin' asleep! How many times ya gonna keep throwin' the same lousy cards down? You duel as badly as ya dress! Time ta end this pathetic duel so I can get back to what I was doin'!"

_I'm gonna wipde da street with dis bum!_ Joey thought giddily as he looked at his hand for his next move. _Wait a second! When Yugi was telling me about Battle City rules today, he said something about havin' to sacrifice weaker monsters so you can summon stronger monsters. I think I can offer up those two guys ta bring out my secret weapon!_

"Now for your worst nightmare-the moment I've been waitin' for! I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (**2400/2000**)!" he cried out. Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior were absorbed into the card and then the mighty monster came forth with a ferocious roar.

For the most part, the Rare Hunter was in awe, which of course just boosted Joey's ego tenfold, "So you wanted ta see my Red Eyes, huh? Guess you got your wish. Now take a look at dis. Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack!"

The dragon let out it's signature Inferno Fire Blast at the face-down monster, destroying the Death Hand (**800/600**), "I think this was my easiest duel ever. While you were busy pickin' cards and playin' defense, I was blastin' you away!"

"Foolish boy. I've been leading you through this hunt, waiting for the right moment to pounce!"

"What're you talkin' about. I think you got your cape on too tight. I've been cremating ya!"

However, the Rare Hunter was still not convinced, "Wrong. I'm about to finish you off."

Joey jumped back a little bit in shock, "Say what?!"

"It's my move now," the Rare Hunter said, drawing his card. "And it's time for me to unleash the ultimate beast. I summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

"No way! It's all over!" Joey yelped. "Not Exodia!"

But it was. The field collected dust as the wind picked up and the dreaded lines formed the star in which Exodia would emerge. First came his arms, then his legs, and finally his head.

"No! How can it be!" Joey was speechless. How could someone like _him_ have something as powerful as Exodia?

"Exodia! Obliterate!"

The monster let out his powerful blast, completely dominating Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And just like that, it was over.

**LP: 0/2500**

Joey grunted as he was thrown back by the force of the blast. He sat back up and growled out, "Exodia's the rarest card I know. How did you get it in your deck?"

"It is true that the individual pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One are extremely rare cards, but Rare Hunters thrive on relieving duelists of their rarest cards," the Rare Hunter explained showing all of the Exodia cards. "That's how I've assembled three complete sets of Exodia in one single deck of cards."

"You won them all?" Joey was severely confused. How could someone win that many cards if they were that rare?

"Let's just say. We acquire them by whatever means necessary. Now we'll take our prize-your Red Eyes."

Getting up slowly, Joey noticed the hunters gathering around him, "Hey, I'll get it."

However, they didn't back down, "We prefer to take it by force."

"I said I'll get it-AH!" Joey was thrown to the ground as his most valuable card was taken from him by the Hunter he dueled while being held down by the other two.

"Ah, the thrill of the hunt," he said as he held the card in his hand, "And now your precious Red-Eyes Black Dragon is mine."

Sitting up, Joey weakly called out, "My Red-Eyes Black Dragon..."

He fell to the ground in a crumpled lump as the Rare Hunters took their leave, laughing haughtily at their victory and the defeat of their prey.

* * *

"Anya! Anya!"

The dragon duelist snapped awake at the fear in Serenity's voice, "What? What's going on?!"

"Joey still hasn't shown up. I'm so scared that he's hurt!" she sobbed, hugging Anya in the side. Suddenly, there was a turning of the knob and the knock at the door, but it never opened.

"Serenity, open the door right now. Please let me in," that was Mrs. Wheeler, Anya realized. So this was how scared Serenity was? She was willing to lock everyone else out even if it meant getting the help she needed? "Serenity, please!"

The young girl, however, shook her head and shouted, "I won't! I'm not going to have the operation until Joey gets here!"

"Better give him a call again," Anya took out her phone and pressed the speed dial for Joey's home phone. It rung...and rung...and rung some more. However, the other end never answered the call.

"Joey, I swear, if you show up, you're gonna be sorry," Anya growled as she hung up and dialed the only other person she could think of who could know where he was. Lucky for her, he was there to pick up the phone.

_"Hello?_"

"Yugi. We've got a problem."

_"Huh? Anya?"_

"It's Joey. He never showed up at the hospital."

_"Joey never showed up?! Don't worry. We'll figure this out!"_

"We better. Just find him soon, please. Serenity's not letting anyone in her room until he gets here."

* * *

It was still a while before anything actually happened. Doctors and nurses alike tried to talk Serenity out of the room, but none had succeeded. Anya would have done it herself, but what could she do? She was obviously too scared to go and if Joey being there for her was what she needed, then by all means she would keep them away from her until that stubborn, thick-skulled idiot arrived.

"Serenity, open the door this instant," Mrs. Wheeler said as she tried to open the locked door once again.

"I have other patients. I can't wait any longer," the doctor said to her. She turned back to him pleadingly,

"Doctor, please!"

Turning his back to leave, the doctor managed to get a few feet away before they all heard, "Yeah. Hang on there, doc."

They turned and were astounded to see Joey. He looked a bit worse for wear with cuts, bruises, and tears in his jacket, but the important thing was that he was there to make things right.

Mrs. Wheeler gasped softly, "Joseph..."

"That's right. Let me take care of this one, Ma," Joey said before knocking on the door. "Serenity, it's me, Joey."

Serenity looked up at the door and Anya did the same as they heard, "Listen, sis. I know you're upset, but you gotta open dis door so we can talk."

"No! I'm not opening the door!" Serenity answered, Anya stroking her back soothingly as she went on, "You said that would be here last night, Joey, and I was so worried about you! I need you to help me through this!"

On the outside of the door, Joey was crushed. He hung his head as he told her, "I'm sorry. I know I let ya down, sis, but please lemme explain, please. I was on my way to da hospital yesterday, just like I promised, but I ran into some creeps downtown. All I could think about was comin' to see ya, but that gang of punks wouldn't let me leave. They cornered me and forced me into a duel. Then they took the best card in my whole deck. I can't do anything right!"

By now, tears, actual tears, were gathering at the corner of Joey's eyes, "Somehow, I managed to let down the most important person in my life on the day that she needed me the most. I must be the worst big brother in the history of the world! But you gotta believe me, Serenity, I'd never do anything ta hurt ya. You're more than just my little sister, you're my friend. And there's nothing in the world that can break the bond between us!"

He stood up and asked, "Now open dis door and give your big brother a hug, huh?"

In the room, Anya set her hands on Serenity's shoulders and said, "I'll be right behind you."

And so, Serenity unlocked the door and opened it to reveal her big brother. Anya's eyebrows arched at the shape he was in, but would save those questions for later. Right now, Serenity was basically in tears of happiness and relief at seeing her older brother.

"Joey!" she ran to him, enveloping him in a hug which he gladly returned.

Mrs. Wheeler was happy to see her children safe and sound. She brought her daughter into a hug when they were finished. Joey gulped a little bit as he greeted, "It's, uh, nice ta see ya, Ma."

"It's nice to see you. Thanks, son."

Joey grunted as he felt his shoulder being shoved roughly from behind. He turned growling, thinking it was Tristan, but then froze as he saw who it really was. Anya, hands on her waist, narrowed her aquamarine eyes at him.

"Babe! Wh-what're you doin' here?"

"I wanted to surprise you and meet your family," she explained, her face not softening up in the slightest. To Joey, that was never a good sign. That meant that someone was about to get hurt, and it was usually him. She scanned his body up and down and told him, "I would say that you're due for a beating, but it looks like someone beat me to it."

"You don't know the half of it," Joey blew out a sigh of relief.

Anya let out a sigh of her own as she grabbed his arm and proceeded to pull him, "Well, come on. Let's go get you a first-aid kit."

"Huh?" he blinked. "You're draggin' me by the arm...just ta get me patched up?"

"If you prefer, I could always drag you by the ear."

"No, no! The arm's just fine..."

* * *

_"Hey, Joey. Serenity's operation went well?" _Yugi asked from the other end of the hospital payphone.

"Yup. Went by just fine. She's in the recovery room now."

_"Who were those guys last night, Joey?"_

Joey's face took on a dark expression, "You mean those three butt-ugly chumps who forced me to duel? All I know is I'm gonna find'em and win back by Red Eyes."

Yugi, of course, should have objected to Joey being so rash. Still, after everything he's been through, he thought it would be best for now to just support his friend's decision, _Well, I'll be there to help you, Joey."_

"I know you will, pal," Joey said with a smile. "Listen, Anya and I'll stop by on the way home._"_

_"You got it. Bye." _

Joey hung up the phone, turning back to sit down in his seat. He sighed as he plopped down next to Anya, who was going through her Duel Monsters deck. He glanced over at her and asked, "What'cha doin', babe?"

"Thinking of some the cards I've got at home that Kaiba hasn't seen me use yet. I want to try to spice up my deck but also keep the cards I can't bear to duel without," she replied. "It's not really fair that he has researched our decks, but there's nothing we can do about it."

At the thought of cards, Joey's eyes widened and his hands frantically went to his jacket pockets. She frowned and sat up a little straighter as she asked, "Joey? What's wrong?"

_Tell me they didn't get it! Tell me they didn't get-aha!_ He breathed out in relief as he pulled out an item. It was a small, thin crimson box that was topped with black ribbon.

"Tell me, what's so special about little box, there?"

He cringed as he turned to face her, a curious look on her face, "Uh...well I-I went and...I got it just for you."

Joey gave her the box, in which she took it and lifted the lid. Her face suddenly became unreadable as she dropped the lid. The card inside was the one that Joey had gotten from Solomon just days ago, The Queen Angel of Roses (**2400/1300**).

"I've...I've been searching for this card for months..." she finally said before turning to him. "Joey...where did you get this?"

"Uh...I just, ya know...somethin' I happened ta pick up. Not a big deal," he yelped a bit when Anya slapped him lightly, a stern look on her face.

"This is _not _a big deal. Nobody's known about I've been trying to find this card. Not even Yugi. How...how did you _know_?"

He gulped a little bit before saying, "I...lucky guess?"

Anya's serious demeanor disappeared just like that and she rolled her eyes. She smiled a bit and said, "Well thanks...but I can't accept it."

It was as if some sort of invisible glass was shattered in Joey's mind. What did she just say? After careful picking of that card and after **all** he's been through these past two days, she's gonna say _no_?

"What?! Are ya out of yer mind?!" he snapped out, but then instantly went silent when she set the box in one hand and took his other on to cover up the card. She smiled fondly and said,

"I know. You've been through a lot and you even lost your Red Eyes. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be for me if I lost my Black Rose Dragon or even my Silent Magician. I want you to keep that card until you get your Red-Eyes Black Dragon back. And if you need to use it to get yourself out of a tight spot, then do it. Think of it this way: it'll be like I'll be there with you when you're dueling even when I'm not. Please do this, for me?"

"Nyeeeeh...Ya know I can't say no ta that face," he laughed aloud. "Fine, but only until Red Eyes is back where it belongs."


	7. Battle City Begins I

**Well, thank you all for being so patient with me. Things have been nuts lately. I'm hoping to upload more often in the near future, so thanks again for your support, reviews, views, and patience. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or its plots and characters (human, monster, or otherwise). I only own my characters (human, monster, and otherwise) and plots. Enjoy!**

'_You've assembled a powerful deck_,' Yami commented, setting the final arrangement of the Duel Monsters deck on the dresser.

Still, Yugi, in his spiritual form, was uneasy, '_What if it's not good enough to win?'_

'_There comes a time when there's nothing left to do but believe in the deck you've created,'_ Yami replied. He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued, '_Yugi, this tournament is unlike any challenge we've ever faced before._'

'_Right_,' Yugi nodded.

_'The fate of the world depends on us, so you've got to be strong and trust in your cards._

Yugi countered, '_But there is still so much we don't know._'

_'Our destiny will reveal itself when the time is right. According to Ishizu, an ancient evil force will return to threaten the world and you and I must defeat it by winning Kaiba's Battle City Tournament with this deck. If you believe in the heart of the cards, we can unlock the secrets of the past and save the world.'_

Yugi smiled and nodded, '_Yeah! We can do this!_'

Yami agreed, '_Yes, we can, but it won't be easy_.'

_'I'm ready to face whoever or whatever we have to. You stood by me and helped me rescue my grandpa from Pegasus, and now it's my turn to stand by you. I promise you and I will work together to figure out your past.'_

Yami paid attention in slight surprise as Yugi continued, '_You already saved the entire world once five-thousand years ago, but there was one difference then—you had to do it alone and this time, you have me by your side to help you._'

The pharaoh nodded, '_Thank you._'

Both he and Yugi had their hands on the deck, both saying with the utmost determination, '_Let's duel!_'

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Wheeler residence…

Joey ran his fingers through his blonde locks as he muttered, "I gotta figure out a way to win back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

He groaned out in frustration and fell on his back onto the carpeted living room floor, _I can't believe I let that Rare Hunter take my best card and before the tournament even started! Why did Serenity have to get all the brains in the family? Yeah, I got the good looks, but-!_

He gasped and bolted up as he grabbed the phone, "Serenity! Speaking of brains, I almost let that duel distract me from checking up on my little sister!"

Joey rapidly pressed the buttons and heard the dial tone ring, up until he heard the phone pick up on the other side,

_"__Hello? Serenity Wheeler's room."_

Instantly recognizing the voice, Joey cried out incredulously, "Whaaat?! Tristan! Is that you?!"

_"__Joey! What a coincidence! Serenity and I were just talking about you."_

"Huh? Ya were?" He asked, but then asked Tristan suspiciously, "Hey, what do ya think yer doin' in my sister's room?"

Tristan merely replied, "_Well, I know how busy you are getting ready for the Battle City Tournament, so I thought I should keep Serenity company, right, pal?"_

"YOU'RE THE LAST THING SHE NEEDS, ROMEO!" Joey shouted into the phone. Though he didn't hear it completely, the phone was passed on to his little sister on the other end of the receiver.

_"__Hi there, Joey," _Serenity greeted. _"Why didn't you ever tell me that Tristan taught you everything you know about Duel Monsters?"_

Joey's face became a mix of shock and complete disbelief, "What?"

_"__Or that you finished second at Duelist Kingdom thanks to his training?"_

"Whaaa?!" Joey was beyond angry, but he couldn't seem to let that show. Of course, he wouldn't want to take it out on his little sister in the first place.

_"__And you never mentioned that if it weren't for Tristan, you wouldn't have won the three million dollars to pay for my surgery. You're so lucky to have such a sweet caring guy as your friend."_

All too soon after that, the conversation went back to Tristan as he said his quick goodbye, _"Uhh…Best of luck in Battle City, and don't forget about that super three-card combo that I taught you. Bye!" _

Just about three seconds after the phone call was ended, Joey's face contorted into one of total rage, "TRISTAN! I'LL KICK YER LYIN' BUTT!"

* * *

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP BE-!_

_CRASH!_

Anya groaned and turned over in her bed. Now she really regretted staying up and going through all of her cards and putting together her deck. If only she could get another five minutes of shut-eye…

Silent Magician closed his visible eye, letting out a quiet sigh. With a wave of his hand, he brought the broken alarm clock back up to the table, fixed as if it were brand new. He glided over to his duel master and shook her gently by the shoulder. Anya merely groaned and curled up even further.

Silent Magician sighed once again. Looks like they would be doing this the hard way…

He tapped Anya's duel disc with his staff, calling forth another one of his "deck mates." A dim glow shone through as another monster emerged from the deck. The Decoy Dragon shook his little head and sniffed at the air. His attention was caught when the silent sorcerer pointed to him, and then to Anya.

Decoy Dragon growled out happily as it flew down and gripped onto the blanket with his fangs and claws. He pulled harshly at it, ripping it right off of Anya's body. Still, she didn't move and Silent Magician was most definitely not amused.

Bringing his staff up, the tip took on a light blue glow. Anya yelped as the mattress suddenly tipped up, throwing her onto the floor while it gently was set back into place.

As if nothing had happened, Silent Magician leaned down and patted her shoulder. She slammed her palms on the hardwood floor and exclaimed, "All right, I'm up!"

She got up off of the floor and rubbed her eyes as Decoy Dragon screeched out, _**Master! Don't you remember? You said you would be meeting your friend soon! He's expecting you in ten minutes!**_

"Oh, right! Battle City starts today!" Anya perked up with a grin, as if the current situation never happened. She went right into her closet, rummaging until she was fully dressed. "I can't keep Yugi waiting!"

Decoy Dragon merged back into the deck as Anya grabbed onto her duel disc. Silent Magician squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose before his own form disappeared into the deck.

* * *

"Sorry again for being a bit late, Yugi," Anya said to her friend as the two were wandering downtown Domino. Many other duelists were there and anxious for the tournament to begin.

"Don't worry about it," he responded. "You seem to be in a very good mood. Excited about the tournament?"

"Yeah, a little, but what I'm really happy about are my new cards! I finally got the cards I needed to use my Black Rose Dragon. I'm so stoked!"

"That's great, Anya! And just in time for today," Yugi felt happy for her, truly happy. He frowned a bit as he held up a clear card with what looked like a puzzle piece. "This clear card was in the same package as the duel disc. Looks like it's part of a map."

Anya held up her clear card, though it had a differently shaped piece, "I think Kaiba missed a few pieces. Must be a new twist or something…"

"Yeah," Yugi nodded.

"Yugi! Anya!"

The two turned and were happy to see a familiar face. Mai ran towards them waving with a smile. Considering her attitude towards them in Duelist Kingdom, it was quite a transformation.

"Hey, Mai!" Yugi greeted.

"Pretty big turnout for this thing," Mai said, looking around at the competition. "All losers."

Yugi merely replied to that, "Well, there's a lot of duelists here I've never seen before."

"Oh, this is so exciting! I wonder whose butt I should kick first in this tournament."

Just then, another familiar voice, one mostly unwanted, called out, "Yugi, I thought I'd see you buzzing around."

The three glanced up at the familiar voice and saw its source. Yugi and Mai were not ecstatic in the least. Anya, however, just wanted to shut them out of existence.

Looking as resentful as ever at them were Weevil and Rex. Both had duel discs, which wasn't surprising. What was surprising was the fact that they thought they ever had a chance to beat Yugi, Joey, or Anya even once.

"If it isn't Rex Raptor and Weevil. I thought I smelled something…" Mai said.

"I'll never forget how you played me like a chump-a-saurus in Duelist Kingdom, Mai. Now it's payback time," Rex replied with determination.

Weevil snickered menacingly as he said, "And Yugi, next time we duel, you won't be so lucky. My deck is infested with swarms of rare and powerful insects!"

Weevil didn't even get through much of his high-pitched snickering before a pair of tanned arms locked around his neck, "Those are large words coming from such a small guppy."

If Anya had held any discomfort before, it instantly disappeared as she smiled and waved, "Hey, Mako!"

He released Weevil, letting him catch his breath, "If anyone shall make any waves, it will be me!"

Weevil indignantly turned to him and growled, "You think you'll win this tournament?!"

However, Mako wasn't swayed as he replied, "Of course. There's nothing that can withstand my mighty denizens of the deep."

Rex crossed his arms with a smirk, "Your sardines will be crushed by my dino horde!"

"Don't be so sure. My brand-new Fortress Whale card is much mightier than your Two-Headed King Rex."

During this scuffle, a new look came across those that seemed to have been cast out of the conversation. Mai seemed to be a bit disbelieving that it was actually happening. Yugi seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassed. Anya, well, she was just plain trying to hold in her laughter. Boys could be such dorks…

"Well I have a monster far superior to my Great Moth," Weevil stated, but then added, "but don't think I'll tell you what it is."

Mako then took him by the collar of his jacket and shook him violently, "Well, maybe I can just shake it out of you, Weevil!"

Mai rubbed the back of her head and sighed, "Some duelists just never change."

Anya arched an eyebrow, "Were you expecting a miracle?"

Meanwhile, unknown to them, the duelists were being stalked, so to speak. A Rare Hunter sat in plain sight in a café with nothing more than a portable computer and a cup of tea.

"Their rare cards will make fine additions to my master's collection. The only question is which card shall I acquire first?"

"We'll settle this feud later when the tournament begins!" Rex glowered out, each of the boys glaring at each other.

"Fine. I will be waiting," Mako replied, just before the boys split off into the crowd.

After a brief moment of silence, Mai said, "I think I'll head off. Remember you two, next time we meet, we're rivals."

"Bring it on!" Anya smirked, holding up her duel disk in challenge. "I'm ready to go!"

"Yup. You and Wheeler were made for each other," Mai shook her head, walking off into the crowd.

Yugi laughed lightly as he told her, "She's right, you know. You two seem to even each other out nicely."

Anya smiled and nodded. She had no need to comment on that any further. It was, in all honesty, true.

"Speaking of evening each other out, we better find that boy before he does something incredibly rash…like always."

As they awaited the beginning of the tournament, the two had walked around, searching for their loud-mouthed blonde friend. They did so with no such luck.

"Kaiba should be announcing the start of the Battle City tournament any second now," Yugi muttered.

"…and still no Joey Wheeler to be found anywhere," Anya commented.

"I hope he shows up before this starts."

"Greetings, duelists. Welcome to Battle City."

The two looked up to the blimp that caused a dark shadow to be cast over a good bit of the city. And right on the gigantic flat screen upon that blimp was none other than the master of ceremonies himself, Seto Kaiba.

"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's gonna be an all-out war. Before my Battle City Tournament begins, I thought I'd let you know what you're in for, in case you want to back out now."

"Not likely…" Anya mumbled.

"Let's begin with my new duel disks. Everyone who I decided was good enough to enter received one. With it, you can duel anytime, anywhere, and they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make."

"Next, let's talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now."

"Once again, not likely…" Anya repeated, though she had to admit she had to put much more effort into that one. It would crush her to have to give up any one of her monsters, but if that's the condition she has to accept to help Yugi, then so be it.

"…And anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel because I'll also be competing in this tournament."

"Thought so," Yugi confirmed.

"But don't get your hopes up because I intend to win, and there's one duelist out there I can't wait to defeat…"

Anya smirked softly, her aquamarine eyes drifting down to her short friend, "I'd bet money against anyone who would guess who he was talking about."

Yugi nodded, "You're on, Kaiba."

"And speaking of winning, only the twelve best duelists will make it to the final round, and these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards."

Ah, so explains the mystery of the clear cards. Yugi and Anya held there's up as Kaiba continued to explain,

"You've each received one with your duel disk, but don't get too excited because one's not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel you get a locator card from your losing opponent. When six cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City and activate a global positioning satellite, which will transmit the location to you, but the tournament finals are a long time away and most of you will be eliminated way before that. All right, everything I just said and more can be found in my tournament rulebook. Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of number-one duelist in the world. Now get ready, duelists. Let the tournament begin!"

And even from their place on top of a building, they heard all the duelists below go absolutely nuts. Most of them were probably off to find their first duel of the tournament.

"Time to get to work then, I suppose…" Anya said.

"Where are ya, ya creep!"

And there goes their blonde little disaster right then. Down past the metallic fence, they saw their own Joey Wheeler equipped with his duel disk, but was obviously steaming. That combination was never a good sign…

* * *

"Well, so much prey, so little time. Who shall I hunt first?" asked the Rare Hunter as he scrolled through his list of _prey_. Each duelist in the Battle City Tournament was loaded onto his screen including their information: name, picture, ranking, and rarest card in their deck.

"Hey, freak! I knew I'd find ya!"

"Hmm?" he lifted his head and saw none other than Joey Wheeler, pointing an accusing finger at him. The Rare Hunter scoffed,

"Heh! Didn't you learn your lesson?"

"Yeah, never let an old creep in a cape slap ya around!"

"You fool," he chuckled.

Joey gritted his teeth as he continued to rant, "Listen, you got my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and I want it back, so it's time to duel! You ready ta duel me so I can win back my Red-Eyes?"

However, the Rare Hunter merely laughed, "I have no desire to duel you. I've already relieved you of your rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon. My hunt for your deck is over, and my prey's already been captured."

That just seemed to drive Joey further to the brink, "Well that's too bad 'cause I'm not leaving till I win back my Red-Eyes!"

"Joey! What's going on?"

"What's got you so fired up this time, Wheeler?"

Joey peered over his shoulder, seeing his best friend and his girlfriend approaching. Both seemed to be concerned and it seemed to grow as they drew closer.

"What are you yelling about?" Yugi asked.

He and Anya gasped at what the problem was: the Rare Hunter that sat just feet away from their companion. The man was dressed just like Bandit Keith when he tried to steal and destroy the Millennium Puzzle!

The Rare Hunter had caught sight of them as well, but instantly identified his newest prey, _Yugi Muto! He has the item my master desires!_

"That's one of the goons who swiped my Red-Eyes!"

"Hmm," Anya tipped her head forward slightly, her eyes narrowing and becoming more intense. _So this is the guy who has no class, forcing Joey into a duel and taking his card by force._

_That robe! He's dressed just like Bandit Keith was! Can he be the one' who's after my Millennium Puzzle? _Yugi thought to himself. First Pegasus, then the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring, and now this guy?

"They call themselves Rare Hunters, which to me translates into 'cape-wearin' card takin' freak-a-zoids'! And this one owes me a rematch so I can win back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Silently, the Rare Hunter closed his computer and stood, "I already told you, you have nothing that's of any interest to me, but perhaps your friend would be interested in being my next victim. It would be my pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom champion and snare his Dark Magician, so I challenge Yugi Muto to a duel!"

"Look, this is between you and me, got it?" Joey interrupted. There was no way he was getting his pal involved in something that was his own fault!

"Joey, wait. Fine, Rare Hunter! I accept your challenge!" Yugi exclaimed. Joey looked at him surprised,

"But Yug-!"

"It's the only way to get back your Red-Eyes Black Dragon! I promise you I'll beat him, Joey!"

In that moment, Yami's spirit had taken Yugi's place, giving him is signature air of seriousness.

"So do we have a deal, Rare Hunter?" he asked. "As my first Battle City opponent, if you lose, you must return Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon! And if you win this duel, I'll hand over my Dark Magician to you."

"Yugi, there's no way I'm letting you risk your Dark Magician! I can take'im," Joey told his friend. "I'll never forgive myself if that ugly bum takes your most valuable card. I'll deal with this. It's my-!"

Yami held up a hand to stop him, "Thank you, Joey, but I must duel this Rare Hunter. I'll have to risk losing my Dark Magician eventually. This is my first Battle City duel and the first step in fulfilling my destiny."

"Joey, he's right," Anya reassured him, gripping his shoulder. "Let him handle this. If anyone can trounce this guy, it's Yugi."

"Let's get on with this hunt already," the hunter interrupted their sentimental moment. "The sooner I can take my prize, the better."

Yami nodded to his friends before confronting his opponent, "I'm ready to duel whenever you are, Rare Hunter!"

"Yug, wait!" Joey suddenly called out. He had almost forgotten the Exodia cards in the Rare Hunter's deck! He couldn't let Yami duel without that knowledge!

"Don't even think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler. If you say a word about how I defeated you, I'll tear your Red-Eyes Black Dragon to shreds," the Rare Hunter warned him as he removed his cloak, "so I'd give my mouth a rest if I were you and allow me to stalk the Duelist Kingdom Champion and take his Dark Magician without your commentary."

"Fine," Yami held up his duel disk, inserting his deck into it as he continued, "I'll duel you one-on-one. Activate hologramers!"

The duel disks shot out the small holographic projection devices, being extra careful to spread out to cover the entire field. Once they were in place, they began to glow in a multitude of colors. Once in place, both duel disks activated, unwinding before a total of 4000 life points appeared for each duelist.

**LP: 4000/4000**

"I draw first. Get ready," Yami drew from his deck.

The Rare Hunter, however, looked at his hand and couldn't be more pleased, _Excellent! I already have two pieces of Exodia. When I assemble all five pieces , I'll summon the all-powerful Exodia the Forbidden One and obliterate Yugi!_

As Anya and Joey watched on, the latter couldn't help but interrupt again, "Yug! Watch out for-!"

"Silence, Wheeler, or say goodbye to your Red-Eyes!"

Joey's brown eyes intensified at that, but Anya merely kept a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. She didn't know what more she could do to keep him calm. She said all she could and didn't want his most precious card to be torn up because he was his same old irrational self and end up regretting it later.

"To start off, I place two cards face-down on the field," Yami began, and two cards appeared right in front of him. "Next, I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior (**1700/1600**) in attack mode!"

Beta came to the field, but of course, no duelist could attack until the first turn is over.

"Can you handle my newest monster?"

Now it was the Rare Hunter's turn. He drew from his deck, "My first card will be—heh! Just what I suspected! Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards and I discard two."

_That makes no sense. Unless you're desperate to dig something out of your deck, there's no point in using that card, _Anya thought, narrowing her eyes slightly. Perhaps that has something to do with this secret strategy he used to beat Joey.

_Excellent! The third piece of Exodia. Only two more pieces left!_

"If only you knew what was in my hand waiting, you'd forfeit now and relinquish your Dark Magician," he taunted.

Yami merely replied, "Never! I may not know what's in your hand, but my trap card Light of Intervention reveals all your hidden monsters on the field. There will be no surprise attacks from you!"

However, this didn't seem to faze the Rare Hunter at all, "Hmm, doesn't matter. Stone Statue of the Aztecs (**300/2000**)! In defense mode!"

_He must be waiting for something, _Yami reasoned, but continued with his turn anyway.

"It's time for your stone statue to crumble," he drew his next card and made his move. "Now, by Battle City rules, I sacrifice my weaker magnet warrior to summon the almighty Berfomet and he is able to bring forth Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts! That's not all! Now I use Polymerization to fuse them together, forming Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (**2100/1800**)!"

"Nice," Anya nodded.

"On my next turn, my all-powerful Chimera will erode your stone statue into tiny pieces of rubble. Then, according to Battle City rules, once you have no monster's left on the field, I can attack your life points directly!"

_Forget about what's on the field, worry about what's in his hand!_ Joey thought apprehensively.

"Very impressive, but you'll need more than that to scare off the hunter!" the Rare Hunter responded.

"Listen, Yug, this guy's got a plan to wipe you out!" Joey spoke out again. "Check out the grin on that ugly kisser of his! This is exactly what the old creep did ta me! He's got somethin' in his hand that's gonna-!"

"Silence, Wheeler!" the Rare Hunter barked. "One more word out of you and say good-bye to your red-eyes forever!"

"Joey, you need to cool it! Whatever it is, we can't let Yugi get distracted!" Anywa tried to reason with him.

"I'll end my turn by placing this card face down on the field!"

The Rare Hunter then drew the card for his next turn, "I predict another Graceful Charity. Hmm, imagine that. I was correct! I draw three more cards and discard two."

Anya couldn't help but arch an eyebrow, "There's no way someone can use Graceful Charity that many times and not have something up their sleeve. Why is he just stalling?"

_Excellent, now I have four pieces. I only need one more to summon Exodia that will obliterate Yugi in one attack! He's about to lose his Dark Magician forever!_

"Yugi, your Dark Magician is as good as mine!" he gloated. _Once I assemble all the pieces of Exodia, this hunt will end! And with the help of some invisible ink and x-ray contact lenses, I'll know exactly what card I'll draw next._

And, as luck would have it for the hunter, the final piece of the Exodia puzzle was at the top of his deck. The Left Arm of the Forbidden One. Once that card was drawn on the next turn, Exodia would be able to be summoned and obliterate Yugi from the Battle City Tournament!

"Now, I'll strengthen my defenses! Hmm. To protect me, Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (**800/2200**)! Even your Chimera's not powerful enough to destroy it! What are you going to do now, Yugi? You can't beat me if you can't get by my defenses!"

"You may be protecting your life points with fortresses and stone walls, Rare Hunter, but in order for you to win this duel, you must attack me eventually, so what are you waiting for?" Yami asked.

With a sinister grin, he answered cryptically, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Yugi, so go ahead and make your move! The hunter will strike his prey when the time is right!"

Anya felt Joey tremble under her hand and didn't bother to stop him from his outburst, which effectively caught Yami's attention, "Hey, Yug! Hold it! I can't stand by and watch this. No way! I won't let you lose your Dark Magician for me!"

"That's enough, Joey!"

This stunned both Joey and Anya. If Joey had interrupted this many times, it was obviously important, so why wouldn't Yami let Joey continue?

"You must not reveal the Rare Hunter's strategy. I will defeat him," Yami told him sternly. "You're my friend, Joey, and I'm fighting this duel for you just as you would do for me."

Joey nodded slightly, "You're right."

"Do you remember the time Weevil threw my Exodia cards into the ocean? You risked your life to try to get my cards back, not just because Exodia is the most powerful card in the game, but because I was a friend in need."

_Weevil, that underhanded, condescending, pitiful excuse for a dueling mosquito, _Anya remembered that night perfectly. She had no regrets of using her energy to help Joey and Yugi out of the ocean after jumping off of the ship, but she still wished she had a chance to stomp him out and wipe the remains on the grass…

"I'm onto you! I know your strategy, Rare Hunter!"

This caught everyone by surprise, especially the Rare Hunter. Anya didn't quite understand how any of that helped him, but then again she's seen stranger things happen in his duels.

"You're planning to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

"All right!" Joey grinned from ear to ear. So, that's how he was defeated in that duel. That at least brought some relief to Anya, seeing as Joey was not so easily beat. Well, to her he wasn't.

Yami gave a thumbs-up to Joey, "Thank you, Joey. You allowed me to figure out his strategy without actually telling it to me."

Joey responded with a thumbs-up of his own, but then the Rare Hunter shook off his daze and said, "Just because you figured out my strategy doesn't mean you can stop me from succeeding. Everyone knows Exodia's the most powerful Creature in Duel Monsters! How will you stop the unstoppable Exodia?"

Yami merely smirked, "True. No one has ever defeated Exodia, but in order to win back Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon, I'll be the first."


End file.
